DETROIT -- The revelation came up at season's end in reference to Nicholas Castellanos' future with the Tigers and what Detroit's options are with their slugging right fielder before he's eligible for free agency next offseason. The parallels were drawn to the Tigers' conundrum with J.D. Martinez a year and a half ago, at which point general manager Al Avila noted one major difference.
"We should be [revenue-sharing] receivers at that point," Avila said, "and that'll be a whole different situation."
That transition happened sooner than some expected. A year after Detroit paid out luxury tax based on their 2017 payroll, the Tigers now qualify as revenue-sharing recipients based on team revenues and market size.