Yes, the Detroit Tigers will probably sign a couple Major League free agents this winter. But they'll also add a couple dozen players on minor-league deals.
The minor-league portion of the free-agent season gets under way on Friday, when eligible players can begin signing with new clubs.
About two-dozen Tigers minor-leaguers will be eligible for minor-league free agency this winter.
The group is a mixture of veterans signed on one-year minor-league deals last winter and longtime organizational fixtures who are finally reaching free agency -- albeit the minor-league variety.
Two of the impending free agents spent at least part of the season with the big-league club: Right-handed relievers Warwick Saupold and Johnny Barbato.