Tigers could get creative with WM moves

DETROIT — The last time the Tigers went into an offseason looking to trade established talent with payroll in mind, their masterpiece came at the Winter Meetings. It was the three-team trade that sent Curtis Granderson to the Yankees, Edwin Jackson to the D-backs, and Max Scherzer, Austin Jackson and Phil Coke to Detroit.

It happened in 2009 in Indianapolis, the last northern city to host baseball’s Winter Meetings — until next week, when executives, managers and other baseball officials gather near Washington, D.C.

Dave Dombrowski was the Tigers’ general manager then, but Al Avila was his top assistant. David Chadd, John Westhoff and Scott Bream were on his staff, too. Now, with Avila in charge, this is the team tasked with trying to create some financial maneuverability while remaining competitive in a division that has produced the past three American League champions.

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MLB.com and MLB Network will have wall-to-wall coverage of the 2016 Winter Meetings from the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center outside Washington, D.C. Fans can watch live streaming of all news conferences and manager availability on MLB.com, including the Rule 5 Draft on Dec. 8 at 9 a.m. ET.

The Tigers will pay more than $3 million in luxury tax this year on a franchise-record $216 million payroll. They knew they would be paying the tax when they …

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