The Detroit Tigers lost to the Seattle Mariners in the American League Division Series last season, and the team has started making changes in preparation for next season.
The Tigers non-tendered Andy Ibáñez on Friday, the team announced. Ibáñez is now a free agent after spending three seasons with the Tigers. He has five seasons of experience in the big leagues and is a versatile defender. Last season, he played in 91 games for the Tigers.
He had just a .239/.301/.352 slash line and four home runs, but played first base, second base, shortstop and left field for the Tigers. His versatility should help him land with a new team. He has four more years of club control and has played in 420 big league games.
That type of experience is valuable for teams when building depth and finding utility players. He did not see many opportunities for the Tigers in the postseason. He had just one at-bat. However, he recorded a hit and picked up an RBI in Game 3 of the ALDS.
Ibáñez posted a .264/.312/.433 slash line in his first season with the Tigers. He looked like he was going to be a solid player for years to come, but in the next two seasons, he managed just a .652 OPS. He was still helping the team on defense and had club control, so his non-tender comes as somewhat of a shock.
More MLB: Braves 20-Homer Infielder Leaves Team, Signs With Brewers