Detroit Tigers: Three potential offseason free agent targets

DETROIT, MI - AUGUST 10: JaCoby Jones #21 and catcher Austin Romine #7 of the Detroit Tigers celebrate with teammates after a 5-1 win over the Chicago White Sox at Comerica Park on August 10, 2020, in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - AUGUST 10: JaCoby Jones #21 and catcher Austin Romine #7 of the Detroit Tigers celebrate with teammates after a 5-1 win over the Chicago White Sox at Comerica Park on August 10, 2020, in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images)
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Detroit Tigers
(Photo by Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Bringing back Jonathan Schoop and C.J. Cron on one-year deals makes sense for the Detroit Tigers.

I’m going to cheat a little bit and drop two names for this last target for the Detroit Tigers.

With a need at first base and in the middle of the infield, the Tigers should bring back second baseman Jonathan Schoop and first baseman C.J. Cron on one-year deals for 2021.

Schoop played well for Detroit this season, slashing .278/.324/.475 with eight home runs and a 114 wRC+. He was worth 1.4 fWAR (highest mark since 2017 with Baltimore) and is an American League Gold Glove finalist at second base.

He needed to prove himself after a rough go in Milwaukee and average 2019 in Minnesota and he did just that in a shortened 2020 season. Did he do enough to earn a bigger contract from a contending team? Possibly. With names like DJ LeMahieu, Kolten Wong, and Tommy La Stella on the market, Schoop could be a free agent who is forced to settle for another cheap one-year deal.

Cron played in just 13 games this season before going down to injury, but he did hit four home runs with three doubles, a .346 on-base percentage, and a 139 wRC+ in his very small sample size.

Cron would be nothing more than a bridge to Torkelson, but there are very few first basemen on the market and Cron will come at a very cheap price tag.

This doesn’t address the need at the catching position, but these four free agents would be a solid start for the Detroit Tigers. They won’t move the needle, but the Tigers are a team on the rise and fans will have plenty of young talent to get excited for next year.