2025-2026 Tigers Off Season Thread

[Tiger337]

This is a thread where we talk about what we think the Tigers should do, probably will do or actually do this off-season.  

[AlaskanTigersFan]

Sign Kyle Tucker, Edwin Diaz, Dylan Cease, Zac Gallen, Shane Bieber.

Trade Skubal.

Redecorate the trophy room so you have space to add four of the next five World Series trophies. 

Ez enough. 

Edited October 11 by AlaskanTigersFan

[Shinzaki]

Gleyber needs hernia surgery...played through it for the past month

[gehringer_2]

17 minutes ago, Shinzaki said:

Gleyber needs hernia surgery...played through it for the past month

well that figures. Is it 'rea'l hernia  or 'sports hernia' which is a different thing altogether (what JV had). Recovery from the former is easy, from the latter is a lot of work.

Edited October 11 by gehringer_2

[holygoat]

I think if you commit to signing Skubal to the kind of deal he will require, you have to go full YOLO and bring in as much proven talent for the everyday lineup to maximize your Skubal window, which would mean trading our best prospects and signing high-end FAs. That's not gonna happen, so I'm leaning toward getting what we can for Skubal in the off season and targeting two or three players via trade or FA to upgrade as much as you can. McGonigal is the only prospect I'd make untouchable, with everyone on the big club being made available. I don't want to move on from Carp or Vest, but for the right price...

[Hart]

So many questions with this team.  Oddly enough after last offseason, Javy Baez is probably one of the guys most locked into a secure starting spot.  He still makes too much money to trade, we still don't have a good alternative, and he did enough this year that I think the Tigers will just roll with him at least one more year.  

I don't if McGonigle will end up at third base or second base but I don't think it will be shortstop.  

[IdahoBert]

Thanks for doing this Lee. 

[Motor City Sonics]

I know nothing will happen to Hinch, but he oversaw this collapse and he overmanaged this team.   Could have left Skubal in last night for one more inning.  You leave Skubal in until Skubal tells you to take him out in that case.    Too much tinkering.  August 2024 - June 2025 was more about being lucky.   

If they can get something really good I wouldn't mind trading Greene or Torkelson either.    Do it before you have to pay them.  They had opportunity after opportunity to be something, anything, in this series and it rarely showed.     I mean, yeah, nice stats, guys, but Jumai Jones stepped up more than either one of them.   

I get strong Ryan Raburn vibes from Colt Keith.   Nothing in the first half, makes you think he could be something with a decent second half and plays multiple positions, but none of them well.  

Reload.  Take a step back in 2026 and bring in the next wave of talent in 2028  (won't be a season in 2027).  

 

And bye-bye Tommy.   Once people figure him out he's useless.  

Edited October 11 by Motor City Sonics

[Hart]

Keith still somehow managed an OPS of .746 this year, which I would say is solid for a 23 year old in his second year of development.  I do think his overall statistics are better than what it felt like watching him everyday (which happens with a lot of players when you platoon so much).   Next year is a big year for him.  I think we need to see a big step forward from him before he becomes just another strong side platoon guy that doesn't play good defense.  The Tigers probably won't give him enough of a chance to hit lefties though.  

[Motor City Sonics]

8 minutes ago, Hart said:

Keith still somehow managed an OPS of .746 this year, which I would say is solid for a 23 year old in his second year of development.  I do think his overall statistics are better than what it felt like watching him everyday (which happens with a lot of players when you platoon so much).   Next year is a big year for him.  I think we need to see a big step forward from him before he becomes just another strong side platoon guy that doesn't play good defense.  The Tigers probably won't give him enough of a chance to hit lefties though.  

The Tinkerer won't allow it.      

[1776]

I’m anxious to hear what Harris and Hinch have to say in their end of year  ‘state of the franchise’ address to the media. 
I would hope there are some serious questions raised regarding the trade deadline and the decisions made around the moves they did/didn’t make. 
Last season’s post mortem address was pretty good and informative. Having died on the same hill this year as the last, I don’t know how upbeat this year’s address will beat. The expectations were higher this season. 
I’d also like to get AJ’s take on how the team went from first to barely getting into the playoffs. Injuries, performance, whatever. 
 

[Klondike]

This team showed grit til the end. They just didn't have the horses. It's Harris" turn now. 

[Klondike]

1 hour ago, Motor City Sonics said:

I know nothing will happen to Hinch, but he oversaw this collapse and he overmanaged this team.   Could have left Skubal in last night for one more inning.  You leave Skubal in until Skubal tells you to take him out in that case.    Too much tinkering.  August 2024 - June 2025 was more about being lucky.   

If they can get something really good I wouldn't mind trading Greene or Torkelson either.    Do it before you have to pay them.  They had opportunity after opportunity to be something, anything, in this series and it rarely showed.     I mean, yeah, nice stats, guys, but Jumai Jones stepped up more than either one of them.   

I get strong Ryan Raburn vibes from Colt Keith.   Nothing in the first half, makes you think he could be something with a decent second half and plays multiple positions, but none of them well.  

Reload.  Take a step back in 2026 and bring in the next wave of talent in 2028  (won't be a season in 2027).  

 

And bye-bye Tommy.   Once people figure him out he's useless.  

I wish we had Raburn. He was a notorious first half guy but alway hit in the second half

[Tigermojo]

Great, entertaining season. They need to figure out why they were Jekyll and Hyde two years in a row. That's why Harris and Hinch get paid the big bucks. They need to prevent that. I understand there are losing streaks but this was the tale of two different teams both seasons.

[tiger2022]

Need 3rd baseman and DH badly.  They could try one of their prospects at 2nd.  Two middle of the pack starters and not guys that are injured and won't play ever.. that seems to be Harris's specialty.  And not Chris Paddack level of garbage.

You can live with Meadows in center even though he is a huge hindrance offensively.  But he will get injured so they should have a 4th outfielder who can play center field decently.

I'd prefer to keep Baez at SS rather than move him to the outfield.  There aren't many humam beings on the planet that are in his class defensively, even though Hinch hates him for some reason.

I'd like a new manager, but that isn't happening.  I feel like he loses quite a few games with his overmanaging and his idiotic lineups.  Not letting Carpenter hit against lefties until the very end of the season epitomizes his smartest man in the room syndrome.

I don't feel like Colt Keith provides anything of value.  He doesn't have the power that a DH should have and he might be the worst defensive player in the league, so he can't play a regular position.

McKinstry is an adequate utility player, but, as seen, is less valuable as a starter.  His baserunning is awful and gives outs away on the basepaths.

Harris needs to step up and try to improve the team.  He did very little last offseason and did virtually nothing at the trade deadline.

Chris Ilitch needs to spend some money.  And if they trade Skubal in the offseason they will basically be giving the fans the middle finger and saying we don't care about winning at all, which I believe they don't.

Maybe everything will just work out next season like it did this season without any effort or hard work by Harris and the overmanaging by Hinch.

[Edman85]

Well that explains that:

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/mlb/tigers/2025/10/11/if-tigers-gleyber-torres-looked-off-in-the-second-half-heres-the-reason-why/86619052007/

Makes the QO decision a bit more complicated. I would still offer.

[Toddwert]

I just hope they make some changes and dont think just because they almost made the ALCS tht this roster cant get better and please no washed up pitchers

[Edman85]

Minor roster minutia, but Akil Baddoo, Tomas Nido, and Randy Dobnak are eligible for free agency right away. Dobnak is unlikely to take it because he would waive his buyout by not waiting until his option is declined after the season.

[Tiger337]

2 minutes ago, Edman85 said:

Well that explains that:

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/mlb/tigers/2025/10/11/if-tigers-gleyber-torres-looked-off-in-the-second-half-heres-the-reason-why/86619052007/

Makes the QO decision a bit more complicated. I would still offer.

And there is a chance he might take it given the injury.  It could be a blessing in disguise.  

[Motor City Sonics]

9 minutes ago, Klondike said:

This team showed grit til the end. They just didn't have the horses. It's Harris" turn now. 

Not sure that makes me feel better.    I feel like he is the baseball version of Steve Yzerman.     Maybe the owner has told Harris & Yzerman that they can't spend big money or sign any long term contract.  That's entirely possible.    Having all these prospects and then never using them to get all the way home is like having a bunch of really cool toys that were never taken out of their packaging because "one day these will be valuable".   Sure, but by that time you'll be too old to enjoy it.     I hope Clark & McGonigle & Briceno are better than Greene, Torkelson & Meadows.          

An AL Central team hasn't been to the World Series since 2016 and it feels like maybe we're just destined to be part of that - make the playoffs but never go too far group.    This is how Padres fans feel.   I mean, every year they make the playoffs and just can't get home.   We've only done it twice and it just sucks.       

Just please, not the Dodgers again.   Anyone else is fine, just not them.   if they do it again it just cements the fact that no matter what you do, no matter how good you are at building a system, only a handful of teams can buy a title and it will always be them in the end.        A salary cap would help fix that, but the idea of a salary cap will never fly.  The players will never ever go for it, not even if a salary floor gets the majority of the players more money.      That salary cap argument is why we won't have a season in 2027.   

[Edman85]

4 minutes ago, Tiger337 said:

And there is a chance he might take it given the injury.  It could be a blessing in disguise.  

I only worry about blocking McGonigle, but that seems like something that would work itself out.

The pick they would get would be a pretty good one, assuming the Tigers are still getting Rev Share money and get a Compensation 1 Round pick, which would nominally be 32nd to 34th depending on if the Dbacks offer Zac Gallen or Drake Baldwin wins the Rookie of the Year. The Phillies, Yankees, Blue Jays, and Dodgers are all in the CBT Penalty box and their pick moves back 10 spots, so they will all move behind the theoretical compensation pick the Tigers get. If the Mets don't win a lottery pick, then they are in the bonus too and their (likely 17th, very slight possibility 18th) pick moves back 10 spots too.

[tiger2022]

Well, Skubal will get a chance to win the World Series as a Dodger, maybe as early as next season 

[tiger2022]

3 minutes ago, Edman85 said:

I only worry about blocking McGonigle, but that seems like something that would work itself out.

I think worrying about blocking a 20 year old AA player with a mlb All Star is...yikes.

Edited October 11 by tiger2022

[Motor City Sonics]

By the way, as far as Chris' motivation to win.  

The Tigers were in first place most of the season, but 16th in attendance - one behind the worst team in baseball, Colorado.   

So maybe he's thinking - when  we're good the fans don't really show up, so why bother spending money, those fans are filling enough of our parking lots.   

[Motor City Sonics]

What do you do with all these next-generation Tigers.   If you put them on the 40 man before the end of 2026, does that mean they are subject to the lockout/strike and can't play anywhere in 2027?     If they aren't only the 40-man during the 2027 stoppage, do they get to play in the minors?     Losing a year of development would be awful.