Detroit – In the recent past, Tigers general manager Al Avila has made good use of the non-tender deadline to trim payroll. Catcher James McCann and reliever Alex Wilson are just two examples of that.
And yet, in a year where teams are expected to non-tender and send more players into free agency than ever – due to extreme financial setbacks last year and the uncertainty of what lies ahead in 2021 – Avila will most likely offer contracts to all nine arbitration-eligible players ahead of the Wednesday deadline.
Why?
Because those nine arbitration-eligible players are expected to play vital roles in 2021 and, with most teams circling their financial wagons, the reasonable expectation is that the Tigers can work out short-term contracts with these players before the arbitration deadline of Jan.