National Harbor, Md. – The Detroit Tigers flew into Washington, D.C., Sunday for baseball’s Winter Meetings, otherwise known as Black Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. For 30 big-league clubs whose best shot at getting better often comes during three full days of stop-ins at hotel suites where teams are headquartered, or during phone chatter that make the Winter Meetings Verizon’s best friend, this is heavy retail time.
The Tigers and general manager Al Avila are staring at business strategies that could go either way as teams settle into the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center:
Play for 2017: This happens if the Tigers aren’t happy with offers for players they’d prefer to trade in the quest to get younger and less costly.