DETROIT -- The Tigers didn't have a qualifying offer issued to any free agents last week, so they weren't on pins and needles as players decided whether to accept or decline offers on Friday afternoon. That doesn't mean they weren't watching closely.
After seeing free agents linger on the open market well into the winter and taking a pass, preferring not to forfeit their first-round Draft pick in some cases as compensation, the Tigers are in a position to take advantage of such a market if it occurs this offseason. Their first-round pick in the 2016 Draft is protected by virtue of a last-place finish in the American League Central, earning Detroit the ninth overall selection.