5 Biggest Questions Facing Detroit Tigers Going Into Opening Day 2016

By Brad Faber

It is hard to believe, but in just one week from Tuesday, the Detroit Tigers will visit south Florida to open up their 2016 MLB campaign against the Miami Marlins. Here are five of the biggest questions surrounding the Tigers heading into opening day.

5 Biggest Questions Facing Detroit Tigers Going Into Opening Day 2016

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Will The Offseason Signings Pay Off? — The Tigers certainly weren't shy to spend big this winter, inking starting pitcher Jordan Zimmermann and slugger Justin Upton to nine-figure contracts. More minor moves included signing a back-of-the-rotation starter in Mike Pelfrey, a setup man in Mark Lowe and bolstering the bench by signing Mike Aviles and Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Hopefully, the Tigers' investments pay off. Of course, they added players via trade this offseason as well.

What Will Happen In Center Field? — Going into the spring, it appeared that the Tigers were going to use a combination of Cameron Maybin and Anthony Gose in center field. However, Maybin is now out for the time being with a wrist injury, and Gose, who was below league average at the plate with a 91 OPS+ last season, has hit only .190 through 16 games this spring. Perhaps the Tigers will have to get some help from Tyler Collins and/or Wynton Bernard.

Can Victor Martinez Stay Healthy And Bounce Back? — Over the offseason, Victor Martinez was a big question mark for many fans after his subpar, injury impacted 2015 campaign. Things seemed to be going swimmingly for the 37-year-old designated hitter early on this spring, but he is back on the sidelines once again with a hamstring strain. There has been some talk that he could return to action this week, but it is still going to be interesting to see if he can stay healthy for the long haul.

Will The Bullpen Really Be Improved? — For the first time in quite a while, there was some enthusiasm surrounding the Tigers' bullpen this spring after Francisco Rodriguez, Justin Wilson and Lowe were brought in to join Alex Wilson and Blaine Hardy. However, it has now been reported that (Alex) Wilson won't be ready for the start of the season and Hardy may not be either. It is also worthwhile to note that (Justin) Wilson and Lowe have posted spring ERAs of 9.00 and 9.82 respectively.

Will The Starting Rotation Hold Up? — One would think that the Tigers should be in good shape with Justin Verlander and Zimmermann at the top of the rotation, but Anibal Sanchez had a rough 2015 and a triceps issue delayed his start to spring training. Mike Pelfrey didn't exactly have a great season with the Twins last year either, and Daniel Norris is now out with a back injury. Simply put, there are a lot of questions left to be answered when it comes to the Tigers' starting staff.

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