With a barren farm system and a major league roster getting older by the day, it would make sense for the Tigers to spend more money on the international free agent market. They have not done that.
Thursday, July 2 marked the beginning of this year's MLB international free agent signing period. Players from outside the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico are eligible to sign with major league clubs as free agents.
With a significant delay between the time that players declared their eligibility for signing and the actual signing day -- think of it like National Signing Day for college football recruiting -- many of the top free agents of this year's class have already signed contracts with major league teams.