Tigers owner: 'I don't care about the money, I want the best players'

Detroit Tigers owner Mike Ilitch has no problem writing checks if it gives his team an opportunity to win.

Fresh off a disappointing 87-loss season in which the Tigers finished last in the American League Central for the first time in eight seasons, general manager Al Avila made two majors splashes with the acquisitions of closer Francisco Rodriguez and starter Jordan Zimmermann, adding a combined $119.5 million to the payroll.

"I don't care about the money," Ilitch told reporters Monday. "I want the best players."

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The five-year, $110-million deal handed to Zimmermann brings the Tigers payroll to approximately $141 million for next season, a figure that will approach the luxury-tax threshold with All-Stars J.D. Martinez and Jose Iglesias among five arbitration-eligible players.

"Well, I'm supposed to be a good boy and not go over it, but again, if I'm gonna get certain players that can help us a lot, I'm going to go over it," Ilitch said. "Oops, I shouldn't have said that."

Even after adding a key piece to both the rotation and the bullpen, the Tigers' front office remains focused on adding more arms, though Avila concedes they will have to come much cheaper than Zimmermann.

"Right now, everything is fitting right in line with our plan," Avila said. "We were trying to get a top starter like Jordan, and then obviously a less expensive pitcher at this point.

"But that doesn't mean that we're not looking for a guy that's not good, even though we're going to try to sign a less expensive pitcher. It means it's a guy that we like a lot in that particular role."