DETROIT — The Tigers’ shopping season officially began Friday, but don’t expect an immediate splash so much as shopping early on.
“I think they’re taking a little bit more of a wait-and-see approach,” said agent Darek Braunecker, who represents top free agent starting pitcher A.J. Burnett.

While team president/general manager Dave Dombrowski returned to Detroit on Friday from this week’s GM meetings in California, agents continued talks with clubs. Friday marked the first day teams can talk contracts with free agents other than their own. Given that baseball’s winter meetings remain more than three weeks away, the peak period for free-agent signings remains far on the horizon.

Braunecker began the sizeable task Friday of whittling down Burnett’s list of potential teams from the 20 or so that expressed initial interest down to about half that number. He did not talk with the Tigers on Friday, nor did he meet formally with them at the GM meetings. However, they remain a team he’s watching.

Other agents, including some who have not heard from the Tigers yet, indicated a similar sense that Detroit is a team in waiting and that the Tigers have not yet made contact with all the players in which they’re interested.

The Tigers did meet with agent Scott Boras at the GM meetings. Not only does he represent many of the top starters on the market aside from Burnett, but he also represents several current Tigers the team must address this offseason, including arbitration-eligible first baseman Carlos Pena and All-Star catcher Ivan Rodriguez.

Boras said he had a “good pulse” from their meeting. He also got a similar sense of the Tigers’ status on the market.

“I think like most teams, they’re sizing up their needs,” Boras said. “Obviously they want pitching.”

Much like the past two offseasons, Boras has commodities the Tigers want. Kevin Millwood is generally regarded as the second-most coveted starting pitcher on the market after Burnett. In some circles, Millwood is valued more because of his track record. Boras said 18-20 teams have shown initial interest in Millwood, about as many teams as have shown interest in Burnett. The Tigers are believed to be among them.

Boras also represents fellow free-agent starters Jarrod Washburn, Jeff Weaver and Kenny Rogers.

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Dombrowski does not discuss specific free agents. However, he said last week that his offseason priorities are to add a veteran starting pitcher and a closer. On the closer front, the Tigers have had discussions with the agent for Billy Wagner, the Phillies stopper generally regarded as the top closer on the market, and have reportedly shown interest in Orioles closer B.J. Ryan and Indians reliever Bobby Howry. The New York Daily News reported last week that Wagner plans to visit Detroit.

The Tigers are also expected to visit talks with former closer Kyle Farnsworth, whom they dealt to Atlanta at the July 31 trading deadline.

The Tigers were aggressive early last offseason, signing closer Troy Percival to a two-year, $12 million contract by Thanksgiving and scheduling visits with second baseman Jeff Kent and Carl Pavano by early December’s Winter Meetings. Several free agents turned Detroit’s interest into more aggressiveness from other teams and signed elsewhere, including Kent and Pavano.