Two weeks before opening day, the Detroit Tigers face major questions about their shortstop situation. On Saturday, ESPN and SiriusXM analyst Jim Bowden tweeted that Jose Iglesias will miss most of the 2014 season due to a shin injury that’s plagued him since the beginning of spring training. This was according to a former teammate close to Iglesias. Later, CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman and ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick confirmed Bowden’s tweet, reporting that Iglesias could be out until at least the All-Star break, if not the entire seaason.
Iglesias has been sidelined since the Tigers’ Grapefruit League opener on Feb. 26, due to what was diagnosed as shin splints. The original thought was that he would miss a week at most. Since then, however, the 24-year-old has undergone MRI exams, seen two specialists and experimented with different orthotics in his shoes in hopes of alleviating the problem. Yet Iglesias wasn’t getting better and with the regular season looming, concern over his readiness when he hasn’t played justifiably increased every day.
The Tigers did confirm on Sunday that Iglesias would begin the season on the disabled list, but wouldn’t comment on the reports that he could miss significant time because of the shin injury. He will visit a specialist in Colorado this week before the team determines its next course of action. But Detroit will have a replacement shortstop in the starting lineup on opening day.
Who that replacement will be is the big question now hanging over the Tigers. The team does have in-house options in prospects Eugenio Suarez and Hernan Perez, both of whom are on Detroit’s 40-man roster.
Suarez, 22, has been impressive during the spring and remained in major league camp while Iglesias is sidelined. Defensively, the team believes he can handle the position, but there’s uncertainty over how well he’ll hit. Suarez finished last season in Double-A Erie, batting .253 with a .719 OPS, 24 doubles, nine home runs, 45 RBI and nine stolen bases.
Perez, soon to be 23, is further along in his development, finishing last year with Triple-A Toledo. He batted .301 with a .740 OPS, 31 doubles and 28 steals, playing mostly in Double-A. He’s also seen some time in the majors, having played 36 games with Detroit during the past two seasons. However, minor league analysts feel Perez can’t play shortstop on an everyday basis and the Tigers surely have the same view.
The Tigers have been playing Steve Lombardozzi frequently at shortstop during the spring, but with the idea that he would be a backup to Iglesias and a utilityman filling in around the infield and possibly in left field. He’s played two games at the position during his three major league seasons.
Another possibility is Danny Worth, who’s been in the Tigers organization since 2007. Detroit knows he can play shortstop reliably. But frankly, if Worth could hit, he probably would’ve been the Tigers’ starting shortstop by now and the team wouldn’t have had to trade for Iglesias last year. He has a career average of .242 in the majors with a .622 OPS, and isn’t much better over his minor league career, batting .248 with a .682 OPS over seven seasons. Worth also isn’t on Detroit’s 40-man roster, so the team would have to shuffle some pieces to accommodate him.
However, the Tigers now find themselves in a possibly fortunate situation with possible help still available on the free agent market. It’s very similar to what the Braves faced last week, dealing with injuries to starting pitchers Kris Medlen, Brandon Beachy and Mike Minor, then signing Ervin Santana. Atlanta was lucky to have such an option at hand. The Tigers could enjoy equally beneficial circumstances with shortstop Stephen Drew still waiting to be signed.
Yet signing Drew isn’t a no-brainer decision for the same reasons that he’s still available in the first place. Drew would cost the Tigers their first-round draft pick, since the Red Sox extended him a qualifying offer after the season. Detroit has the No. 23 selection in June’s amateur draft, and with a relatively thin farm system, that’s a high price to pay.
Additionally, the Tigers have been watching their budget closely and meeting Drew’s contract demands might not fit with those plans. The shortstop and agent Scott Boras have been seeking a multiyear deal throughout the offseason. The Tigers surely don’t want to be tied down to such a contract with Iglesias possibly returning this season, but almost certainly next year. But even if Drew is willing to settle for a one-year deal with plans to try free agency again after the season, he’ll likely want to sign for something close to the $14.1 million he would’ve received had he accepted Boston’s qualifying offer.
It’s possible that Drew might not sign until after the MLB Draft in June, when a team would no longer have to surrender a first-round pick. That could work in the Tigers’ favor, as they might have a better idea of whether or not Iglesias will return at midseason or miss the entire year. Of course, that could also open up Drew’s market considerably, pricing him beyond what Detroit would be willing to pay.
If the Tigers aren’t comfortable with some combination of Suarez, Perez, Lombardozzi or Worth at shortstop for nearly three months, the team could also pursue a trade.
The top target currently on the market appears to be the Mariners’ Nick Franklin. But the knock on him is that he lacks the range to play shortstop in the majors. He projects more as a second baseman, which doesn’t help Detroit. The Tigers could also look into Didi Gregorius or Chris Owings from the Diamondbacks. But with what Detroit might have to yield in a trade, that could be as costly — if not more so — than giving up a first-round pick to sign Drew.
Taking all of this into consideration, waiting appears to be the best move for the Tigers and general manager Dave Dombrowski. But if Iglesias’ injury turns out to be a long-term issue, a team with World Series aspirations like Detroit — and down two starters in light of outfielder Andy Dirks’ back surgery — may have no other choice but to sign a reliable veteran like Drew, regardless of how expensive he might be.
