The Detroit Tigers are fresh off a building block type of season. They rallied to a surprise 86-76 season, along with a Wild Card berth in the postseason. With their recent Alex Cobb signing, they’re looking for even more upgrades to help push forward in an American League Central that seems to be perennially up for grabs. According to Jon Morosi of MLB.com, Paul Goldschmidt rumors seem to be spreading out of Detroit, with the club looking for an offensive upgrade.
The Tigers are showing interest in free agent 1B Paul Goldschmidt, sources say.
Goldschmidt, 37, is two years removed from winning the NL MVP. He hit 22 HR with a .716 OPS this year while playing in 154 games with the Cardinals. @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 9, 2024
Paul Goldschmidt Rumors Swirl and Fill a Tigers Need
Detroit found themselves in the playoffs largely due to their work on the mound. This was led by a Cy Young season from Tarik Skubal. The pitching staff allowed the fifth-fewest runs in all of MLB. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the offense.
The Tigers’ offense managed to score 682 runs, which put them just outside the bottom third of MLB. While Goldschmidt rumors and a signing will not fix that overnight, it does address an area of concern. It also adds veteran leadership to a younger team.
First base wasn’t a pretty sight for the Tigers this past season. Spencer Torkelson received the most playing time and continued to not live up to expectations. All told, the Tigers received a .229/.316/.362 slash line out of first base. They were also sixth-worst in all of MLB with 18 home runs. First basemen for the Tigers walked 9.7% of the time, struck out 24.5% and a97 wRC+, which puts them in the bottom third of the league. With Torkelson looking like the best option at first base on the current roster, Goldschmidt has the potential to be an upgrade.
Paul Goldschmidt by the Numbers
While Goldschmidt rumors place the Tigers trying to find help, Goldschmidt would be a marginal upgrade. Father Time may have caught up to him. He’s entering his age-37 season, and coming off the worst season of his career with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Even still, he’s one year removed from above-average production at first base. In 2024, he posted a .245/.302/.414 slash line. Goldschmidt also struck out 26.5% of the time while only walking 7.2% of the time. For the Tigers, this would represent much of the same out of first base. However, his 92nd percentile hard-hit rate, 82nd percentile exit velocity, and an expected slug of .450 say that it could have been an anomaly and that there still might be some juice left in his bat.
The Tigers aren’t known for big spending, and without a late-season push, they were headed to another dismal season. The Goldschmidt rumors speak to the Tigers wanting an upgrade but still not quite ready to push all of the chips in. If Goldschmidt can return to his numbers in 2023 while cutting down on his strikeouts, he could prove a valuable addition for Detroit. The Tigers may make another run at the postseason, and his veteran leadership would be invaluable to have next to a struggling Torkelson. If they fall out of it, he could easily be flipped at the deadline if he is performing well.
