Despite yet-another strong campaign, veteran outfielder Torii Hunter will be playing somewhere other than Detroit next season. Dave Dombrowski, general manager of the Detroit Tigers, told reporters that he had informed Hunter’s representatives of this decision in recent days.
"“I called and said it just didn’t look like it was going to fit the way the club was getting put together,” Dombrowski told the Detroit Free-Press. “Thanked him for everything. Absolutely love him. If something changes where we make some changes for one reason or another, that we’re not anticipating, we would still be open. It’s just probably not much of a fit right now.”"
Hunter, who will turn 40 next July, joined Detroit shortly after the 2012 season concluded in hopes of winning a World Series title. Now, coming off one of the best seasons of his career, the former standout outfielder will likely look to join up with another contender, still seeking that elusive ring.
The outfielder showed no signs of age in 2014, batting .286/.319/.446 across 143 games for Detroit, while providing decent pop in the lineup with 17 home runs and 83 RBIs. Adding 33 doubles, he showed why he could still warrant a two-year pact – despite his turning 40 next season.
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Drafted in the first round of the 1993 draft by the Minnesota Twins, Hunter quickly gained the reputation as one of the top defensive players in the game, winning nine straight Gold Glove Awards during the mid-point of his career. In 2007, his last season with Minnesota, he put together a career year, clubbing 28 home runs and 107 RBIs to go along with an .839 OPS. He then joined the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, where he spent five years before joining Detroit.
As far as the Tigers’ options in the outfield moving forward, Dombrowski said the team has plenty of pieces heading into 2015, but declined to comment on the team’s potential involvement with Cuban outfielder Yosmany Tomas.
"“We’ve got J.D. (Martinez) and Rajai (Davis),” Dombrowski said. “We think Gose is going to be able to play (center). We have two young left-handed hitters coming up with (Tyler) Collins and (Steven) Moya. Moya just finished a very good Arizona Fall League. We need to sit back ourselves and kind of analyze where we are with everything.”"
For Hunter, who is no longer one of the premier defenders in the league, several options exist. According to MLB Trade Rumors, the Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, Kansas City Royals, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers could all vie for his services in 2015.