Projecting Tigers’ 2023 roster after this weekend’s big trade

After this weekend’s trade that sent All-Star closer Gregory Soto to the Philadelphia Phillies, it’s a lot easier to make educated guesses about who will be on the Opening Day roster.

It’s considerably more difficult to project exactly how those players will be deployed.

There’s still about five weeks until the start of spring training, so there’s plenty of time for Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris to put his finishing touches on the roster.

But if the Tigers choose to stand pat, they can credibly say they’ve checked all the boxes identified earlier this winter: The Tigers signed veteran starting pitchers Matthew Boyd and Michael Lorenzen to one-year deals and acquired a right-handed hitting outfielder (Matt Vierling) and left-handed hitting infielder (Nick Maton) on Saturday from the Phillies.

Here’s the outlook for position players. We’ll tackle the pitching staff at a later date.

Outfielders

Secure job (2): Austin Meadows, Riley Greene.

Likely roster spot (1): Matt Vierling.

Probable roster spot (2): Akil Baddoo, Kerry Carpenter.

Vierling can play infield, too, but he offers better-than-average defense in the outfield (along with a much-needed right-handed bat). In fact, unless the Tigers acquire another outfielder in the next five weeks, it’s hard to see how Vierling couldn’t make the club.

It’s possible the Tigers will take just one of Baddoo and Carpenter. But Carpenter should be able to get enough at-bats in a semi-platoon at DH with Miguel Cabrera while Baddoo’s speed will be an asset under new MLB rules that are expected to increase stolen bases.

Infielders

Secure job (4): Spencer Torkelson, Jonathan Schoop, Javier Baez, Miguel Cabrera.

Probable roster spot (1): Nick Maton

To be determined (1): Ryan Kreidler, Tyler Nevin, Andre Lipcius, Wenceel Perez, plus non-roster players like Brendon Davis, Jermaine Palacios, Andy Ibáñez and others will compete for a job. Maybe even throw Justyn-Henry Malloy on this list, too.

If the Tigers were more serious about contending in 2023, I might expect them to pursue a first baseman to push Torkelson. But given that they plan to “earmark” playing time for youngsters, it’s hard to imagine them not earmarking a lot of at-bats to a player who was, until recently, one of the game’s top prospects.

Jonathan Schoop will probably start the season as the second baseman, but it’s not clear that he’ll end it there. This is the last year of his contract, so the Tigers will have less patience if he gets off to a slow start. There’s an army of infielders who will be hungry for his at-bats.

The Tigers haven’t added a true Major League third baseman to replace Jeimer Candelario, and it now appears unlikely that they will sign one. So expect Maton to share the job for now with a player to be named later. No player on the list above should be ruled out, including players with no big-league experience like Lipcius.

Tyler Nevin is an intriguing possibility. He hits left-handers well, so he’d be a nice platoon fit with Maton. Plus, he’s out of options. (Although, as we’ve seen, that’s unlikely to faze Harris, for whom roster churn is just a part of doing business).

Catchers

Secure job (1): Eric Haase

Backup battle (1): Jake Rogers, Donny Sands, Andrew Knapp, Mario Feliciano, Michael Papierski.

The Tigers have opted not to sign or trade for another catcher. That could still change in the next five weeks, but the way in which the Tigers have stocked up on Triple-A catchers suggests they’re preparing a camp battle for the backup spot.

Rogers should be considered the favorite for the job, but he shouldn’t be considered a shoe-in. He has an option left, and if his performance in spring training suggests he might benefit from shaking off some rust in Toledo, the Tigers have plenty of options to take the No. 2 spot.

PREDICTION

Yes, I’m giving in and doing a projected lineup, even though I promised I wouldn’t. Just keep this in mind: The Tigers probably hope Javier Baez starts 162 games at shortstop and Riley Greene starts 162 in the outfield. Beyond that, don’t expect to see a lot of repeat lineups.

1. Akil Baddoo, LF

2. Riley Greene, CF

3. Javier Baez, SS

4. Austin Meadows, RF

5. Spencer Torkelson

6. Kerry Carpenter, DH

7. Eric Haase, C

8. Nick Maton, 3B

9. Jonathan Schoop, 2B

Bench: DH/PH Miguel Cabrera, OF Matt Vierling, IF Tyler Nevin, C Jake Rogers.

Notes: It may seem odd to have Cabrera listed as a bench player, but the Tigers have already said he’s unlikely to be an everyday player in 2023, and he would fit nicely in a platoon with a left-hander like Carpenter.

It’s easy to envision Vierling in a fairly strict platoon with Baddoo. Strict in the sense that, if an opposing team brings in a left-handed reliever in the fifth inning, the Tigers wouldn’t be afraid to pinch-hit Vierling for Baddoo in the fifth inning. Beyond that, Vierling’s performance -- along with that of Baddoo, Meadows and Carpenter -- will dictate how many at-bats he’ll see against righties.

I chose Nevin over Kreidler and others for the final infield spot, but that’s really just a wild guess. Nevin could get DFA’d tomorrow and it wouldn’t surprise me, given the way the roster has churned this winter.