The Detroit Tigers have already had a busy offseason. Signing veteran reliever Emilio Pagan early Wednesday morning to a one-year, $11 million deal, pending a physical, and reinstating a ton of injured players from the 60-day IL, the front office has been active from the get-go.

When Detroit needed to finalize its 40-man roster on Nov. 2, they had to make room for: OF Kerry Carpenter, OF Parker Meadows, RHP Reese Olson, OF Wenceel Pérez, INF Trey Sweeney, RHP Will Vest and OF Matt Vierling.

MLB Veteran Elects Free Agency

One player who didn't make the cut is veteran outfielder James Outman, whom the franchise designated for assignment on Aug. 23. Outman cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Toledo to play the final games of the season with the Mud Hens.

With five years of Major League experience, Outman has earned the right to elect free agency rather than play in the Minor Leagues. Since there isn't a position on this Tigers team to fight for, Outman has officially elected free agency, according to his MLB.com transaction log.

The Tigers claimed Outman off waivers from the Minnesota Twins on June 11, adding him to their roster for the summer. With injuries plaguing Carpenter, Vierling, and Perez, Detroit was hoping to spark Outman's offensive production from when he broke into the league with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but that wasn't the case.

In 45 games with Detroit, spanning 93 at-bats, Outman hit .183, with five home runs and 14 RBIs. His swing-and-miss didn't help the Tigers at the plate; striking out 42 times compared to five walks. Before being designated for assignment by Detroit, A.J. Hinch called upon Outman in the later innings for defensive help in the outfield.

Outman's defensive upside will likely intrigue another MLB franchise looking to add cheap outfield depth.

Another Outfield Dilemma

Another player who could find himself in a similar situation to Outman is Matt Vierling.

Over the last two seasons, Vierling has been a negative WAR player because of lingering injury issues he hasn't been able to shake. A promising piece in the rebuild's early years, Vierling has made an impact on the city of Detroit, especially with his contributions in 2024.

With Ben Malgeri, Brett Callahan, and Zyhir Hope all looking for roles in the outfield, Vierling could be the odd man out, given that he has five years of MLB service. If he were to be sent to the minor leagues like Outman, he'd likely choose to hit free agency too.