With the Kansas City Royals celebrating their coronation as 2015 World Series champions following Sunday's series finale, the rest of Major League Baseball readies itself for next season with the free-agency period set to open on Saturday at 12:01 a.m. ET.
Though a trio of the Detroit Tigers' premier free agents-to-be were dealt prior to this year's trade deadline -- David Price, Yoenis Cespedes and Joakim Soria -- the team has an additional handful players who are now officially free agents:
1. Alex Avila, C
2. Rajai Davis, OF
3. Alfredo Simon, RHP
4. Tom Gorzelanny, RP
5. Randy Wolf, LHP
Of all five players, Davis is probably the most likely to return to the Tigers after an impressive 2015 campaign during which he posted a .258 batting average with eight home runs, 30 RBIs and 18 stolen bases. His speed is his best weapon, but the 35-year-old also has the sort of intangibles that made him a welcome presence within the clubhouse as well.
Perhaps most intriguing will be the case of Avila, who ceded his starting role to rookie James McCann. Both Avila and his father, general manager Al Avila, have indicated that he would probably prefer signing with a team where he has a greater opportunity to play an every-day role. Should he depart, his veteran leadership in the clubhouse will be missed. Avila was also an instrumental mentor for McCann in the youngster's breakout season.
Simon offers an interesting case, given his season-long inconsistencies. Further complicating matters was his revelation in the final days of the season that he was battling a knee condition all season and pitching through pain for the entirety of the 2015 schedule.
Wolf, a 39-year-old veteran, said he was going to take a few weeks to think about the future when the season ended, so retirement remains a possibility, while Gorzelanny could be an option for teams in need of veteran bullpen depth.
