Tigers’ roster likely to resemble ’16 club

DETROIT — Four weeks have passed since Brad Ausmus forecast a quiet Tigers winter rather than an offseason shakeup.

“I just think it’s easy to talk about and harder to do,” Detroit’s manager said at the Winter Meetings.

• Hot Stove Tracker

A month later, the only Major League move the Tigers have completed since early November is the return of catcher Alex Avila, signed to a one-year, $2 million contract two weeks ago.

The calendar has changed, but the issues facing the team on the Hot Stove circuit haven’t. And barring a shift around the league in the coming weeks, the Tigers could go to Spring Training with a roster that looks largely familiar to last year.

Here are some of the storylines to watch as the offseason reaches the late innings:

Trade pieces remain

Aside from Cameron Maybin’s trade to the Angels in November, the Tigers have yet to pull off the payroll-clearing, prospect-hoarding deal they’ve hoped would begin a movement toward a younger, leaner roster. The market remains glutted with power-hitting corner outfielders, either free agents or trade candidates, and doesn’t show signs of clearing until Spring Training approaches, leaving J.D. Martinez appearing likely to open the season wearing the old English D. The market for second basemen remains limited to a certain number of teams, and had all but dried up for Ian Kinsler before the holidays given his partial no-trade clause and Detroit’s demands for …

continue reading in source mlb.mlb.com