Shortened season puts potential free agents in tough spot

DETROIT (AP) — This is the final year of Jordan Zimmermann's contract with Detroit — and after battling injuries and ineffectiveness through most of his tenure with the Tigers, this is also his last chance to make a good impression before free agency arrives again.

And now that opportunity may be gone.

The Tigers put Zimmermann on the 45-day injured list last weekend because of a right forearm strain, and in this shortened season, that means he won't pitch much — if at all.

Zimmermann went 1-13 with a 6.91 ERA last year. He has a 5.61 ERA in four seasons with Detroit. If he was going to be any kind of significant target on the free agent market for 2021, he needed to show he could stay healthy and effective, but now his best-case scenario is to return to the mound at the very end of the season.

“There's a lot of innings on that arm, and he's had to deal with a lot of things,” Detroit manager Ron Gardenhire said. "He's going to try to get himself better, and somewhere down the road, maybe at the end, we'll get him back out there. I think he wants to show people he can still pitch.”

At this point, it's still an open question whether baseball will be able to finish its 60-game season, so 2021 seems like a secondary concern. But it's not too early to think about what the future could hold for some.

Players like George Springer figure to be well-valued in free agency no matter what happens this year, but for others, the 2020 season could be crucial. Here are a few more players who might be free agents after this season — and who could use a good showing over these 60 games.

JAKE ARRIETA, PHILLIES

The 2015 National League Cy Young Award winner joined the Phillies before the 2018 season, agreeing to a three-year contract that includes team options for 2021 and...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Shortened-season-puts-potential-free-agents-in-15427870.php