By the end of this week, after five days of meetings at Lakeland, Fla., a Tigers front office will have specific people and scenarios in mind as it begins assembling a 2017 team designed to put Detroit back into the playoffs.
Payroll limits will be worked out between Tigers owner Mike Ilitch and general manager Al Avila. But even ahead of a firm number, it is the clear understanding by Tigers brass player salaries will shrink from this year’s nearly $210 million.
Thus, there will be no wild free-agent forays. Rather, trades designed to make the Tigers younger and less expensive are almost sure to evolve.