NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. -- Change is coming to the Tigers -- eventually.
General manager Al Avila proclaimed the change in October and reinforced it on Monday as baseball's Winter Meetings began with Detroit as a potential seller and a suddenly thrifty spender. But change, Avila argued, might come slower than expected.
If the Tigers can't work suitable trades for their stars, Avila suggested, they might not happen at all this offseason. And a team that seemed on the verge of an offseason breakup might go into Spring Training with nearly the same group -- and the same payroll concerns -- as it did in 2016.