This story was excerpted from Jason Beck's Tigers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Scott Harris deftly sidestepped the question at last year¡¯s MLB Winter Meetings: With the rest of the American League Central in varying stages of transition, is there an opportunity for the Tigers to step up into contention sooner than many might have expected?

¡°We have to put out the best team we can,¡± the Tigers' president of baseball operations said at the time, ¡°and we have to surround all of these young players with the best possible environment to help them take a step forward. If we do that, the rest of it will take care of itself. ¡­ The more we can channel our energy and focus and determination on ourselves, the better our team is going to be.¡±

One year and a wild ride into the playoffs later, the Tigers return to the Winter Meetings in a much better position. And as executives and baseball officials gather at the Hilton Anatole hotel in Dallas for three days of trading chatter, ideas, offers and, yes, players, Harris and the Tigers check in with a much better view than they had a year ago.

As they try to figure out how to help one of baseball¡¯s youngest teams take the next step, they have to continue to think in a vacuum of sorts. While Kansas City tries to build on the momentum of a 30-win improvement in the standings, Cleveland works to build a defense of its division title and Minnesota tries to move on from a September collapse with a franchise in transition, Detroit will once again try to strike the balance between the youthful energy that propelled a late-season surge with the veteran infusion that could help to build on that.

Opportunities still abound on Detroit¡¯s roster, but the expectations have been raised, too.

There¡¯s history in the Tigers¡¯ favor. The last two times Dallas has hosted baseball¡¯s Winter Meetings (2005 and ¡¯11), Detroit won the AL the following season. The Tigers used the ¡¯05 Meetings to bring in veteran starter Kenny Rogers and closer Todd Jones on short-term deals. They were a little more quiet at the ¡¯11 Meetings, but Detroit still made a smart deal in signing well-traveled reliever Octavio Dotel.

Here¡¯s what to look for this time around:

Key events

• Sunday: HOF Classic Baseball Era Committee results released
• Tuesday: MLB Draft Lottery
• Wednesday: Rule 5 Draft

Club needs
The Tigers entered the offseason looking for a right-handed bat or two along with pitching help, especially in the rotation. Both priorities remain to be addressed. The positional flexibilities on Detroit¡¯s roster, particularly with Matt Vierling, allow the club to cast a wide net on where it could fit a bat, though left-side infield could offer the ideal home. There are a wide range of options on the free-agent market, evidenced by links to interest in everyone from Alex Bregman to Ha-Seong Kim. However, the Tigers could opt to leverage their prospect depth to swing a trade for a younger player, or at least someone on a shorter contract.

Detroit hopes to replicate its success finding undervalued starting pitchers on short-term contracts over the past couple of years, and the free-agent market offers several potential candidates to become the next Jack Flaherty and supplement a pitching staff that went all-in on bullpen games and openers beyond Tarik Skubal down the stretch last season.

Potential trade candidates
The Tigers are finally in a position where they¡¯ve built up enough organizational depth to consider trading prospects to address their needs. No. 5 prospect Jace Jung, the No. 62 prospect in baseball, is in an intriguing position as the club¡¯s third baseman of the future. His 93 OPS+ in a two-month audition in Detroit make the case that his rookie struggles weren¡¯t as deep as perceived. Still, if the Tigers decide their best chance to add an impact right-handed hitter is at third base, Jung could end up back at Triple-A Toledo or even on the trade market to help address other needs. No. 17 prospect Max Anderson could similarly appeal as a bat-first option at second or third base. And while teams can never have enough pitching in the system, Detroit has enough pitching-prospect depth to offer up one or two in larger deals while expecting other young arms to step up and fill the potential void.

Prospects to know
Many of the prospects expected to make big contributions next season arrived in Detroit down the stretch this past season, including Jung, top prospect Jackson Jobe (the No. 5 prospect in baseball) and shortstop Trey Sweeney. Jobe is expected to pivot from his postseason bullpen role back into his natural fit in the Tigers¡¯ rotation, competing for a spot to open the season. Sweeney, Detroit¡¯s No. 18 prospect, is a strong candidate to open the season in a shortstop platoon. No. 14 prospect Ty Madden can become a key part of the Tigers¡¯ starting depth if he can polish his command while getting more swinging strikes.

The Tigers¡¯ next big wave of prospects -- led by No. 2 prospect Max Clark (the No. 6 prospect in baseball), No. 3 prospect Kevin McGonigle (No. 31) and No. 6 prospect Thayron Liranzo -- is likely more than a year away. Still, Detroit could find help within its system during the season from infielder Hao-Yu Lee (No. 8 prospect), outfielder Justice Bigbie (No. 21), right-hander Lael Lockhart (No. 26) and relievers Eric Silva (No. 27) and Tyler Owens (No. 30).

Rule 5 Draft
What was once a reliable route for talent for Detroit has been bypassed in recent years as the Tigers and their system have improved. With a thin crop of potential picks and roster spots at a premium, Detroit appears likely to sit this one out, too. The club could lose out on pitching depth if another organization decides to carry one of their unprotected arms on the roster, such as Lockhart or Double-A Erie reliever RJ Petit.

Burning question
How far are the Tigers willing to go to bump up their offense? While the free-agent market offers some potential answers, including Bregman, the price tags look big, both in contract length and dollars. Detroit has payroll space but has also deftly worked to avoid potentially crippling contracts after the Javier B¨¢ez signing three years ago. A trade could be a smart alternative while maintaining the Tigers¡¯ flexibility, but is Harris ready to part with prospects at this point in Detroit¡¯s cycle?