The Tigers Don't Need Brayan Pena

Brayan Pena announced that he won't be returning to the Tigers in 2014:

I was inform that i will not be returning to The Tigers ,i want to thanks the FANS, the ORGANIZATION & my TEAMMATES for the opportunity !!!!
— Brayan Pena (@cuban2727) October 30, 2013

A quick glance at Pena's 2013 stats shows that he was a pretty productive hitter and might have a few fans wondering why they aren't considering resigning him.   

PA	AVG	OBP	SLG	ISO	BABIP	BB%	K%	wRC+
243	0.297	0.315	0.397	0.100	0.315	2.5%	10.7%	93

Pena had a very solid .297 batting average.  However, with only a 2.5% walk rate, his OBP wasn't very high at .315 and a .100 ISO means he didn't hit for much extra base power.  According to wRC+, Pena still fell a little short of the average production of a 100 wRC+.  Of everyone that received at least 200 PA in 2013 and had a batting average of at least .290, only 5 failed to have a wRC+ of 100.  This is a perfect example of how batting average can be a manipulative stat.  

Looking at Pena's previous seasons, it shows that 2013 might be an aberration.  

	PA	AVG	OBP	SLG	ISO	BABIP	BB%	K%	wRC+
2010	174	0.253	0.306	0.335	0.082	0.295	6.9%	15.5%	75
2011	240	0.248	0.288	0.338	0.090	0.261	5.0%	10.0%	68
2012	226	0.236	0.262	0.321	0.085	0.253	4.0%	10.6%	54
2010-2012 Total	640	0.245	0.284	0.331	0.086	0.267	5.2%	11.7%	65

When projecting forward, it's much more reasonable that he'll revert back to his career norms, especially when he's entering his age-32 year and is in the back-end of his prime years.  

It is expected that Bryan Holaday will get a shot at being Avila's backup catcher next year.  In his very brief MLB stint, Holaday has hit .282/.333/.410 with a 105 wRC+ in 46 PA.  Last year in AAA, Holaday hit .260/.312/.372 with a 91 wRC+ in 320 PA.  He'll be entering his age-26 season, so he may not have much more to prove in the minors.  And his right-handed bat will compliment Avila's left-handed bat nicely.

Defensively, Holaday is very solid.  From B_Sakowski at Bless You Boys:

Holaday is a defense-first catcher that combines solid blocking skills, good receiving skills, and a plus throwing arm behind the plate.

If the Tigers decide to outside of the organization, here is a list of available Free Agents expected to sign as a back-up catcher along with their 2011-2013 production and their 2013 salary.  I also included Pena for comparison's sake.

	PA	AVG	OBP	SLG	ISO	BABIP	BB%	K%	wRC+	2013 Salary
Dioner Navarro	541	0.260	0.324	0.425	0.165	0.275	8.3%	15.3%	104	$1,750,000
Geovany Soto	1019	0.220	0.299	0.396	0.176	0.265	9.3%	25.5%	86	$2,750,000
Kelly Shoppach	625	0.202	0.288	0.373	0.171	0.283	7.5%	34.2%	83	$1,500,000
Jose Molina	778	0.241	0.301	0.349	0.108	0.297	7.3%	21.5%	83	$1,500,000
Kurt Suzuki	1273	0.235	0.29	0.353	0.118	0.253	6.3%	13.5%	75	$8,500,000
Miguel Olivo	910	0.222	0.248	0.386	0.164	0.265	3.5%	27.3%	74	$800,000
Brayan Pena	709	0.261	0.289	0.353	0.092	0.277	3.8%	10.4%	72	$875,000
Yorvit Torrealba	833	0.254	0.300	0.355	0.101	0.291	6.0%	15.5%	72	$1,000,000
Wil Nieves	349	0.274	0.303	0.351	0.076	0.325	4.3%	17.5%	71	$800,000

As can be seen, the Tigers have several options, and that's without exploring the trade market.  Bryan Pena should be no big loss to the Tigers in 2014.