Decisions looming on Maybin, K-Rod for Tigers

DETROIT — At some point this week, the Hot Stove season will officially begin. When it does, the Tigers will have two big decisions to make almost immediately.

What the Tigers decide on contract options for center fielder Cameron Maybin and closer Francisco Rodriguez could say a lot about the direction they’re headed.

The Tigers hold club options of $9 million (or a $1 million buyout) on Maybin and $6 million (or $2 million buyout) on Rodriguez, both of them inherited from contracts they signed with their previous clubs. That flexibility was a small part of the appeal in acquiring them, allowing the Tigers to evaluate them this past season before deciding whether to go another year.

Both had their ups and downs — injuries for Maybin, inconsistency dogging Rodriguez at times — but both played a role in taking Detroit’s playoff hopes to the final day of the regular season. As the Tigers look to form a younger, leaner roster for the coming years, the question isn’t so much whether the two are worth keeping, but whether the Tigers can embark on that movement and still afford to keep them.

It’s taking time to figure out.

“We’ll probably wait all the way to the final day,” general manager Al Avila said at his end-of-season remarks a couple of weeks ago.

The Tigers have until three days after the World Series ends to decide. They have potential replacements in their organization for both, but they aren’t sure either outfield prospect JaCoby Jones or future closer Joe Jimenez will be ready for the big leagues right away.

Though a broken wrist …

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