2025-2026 Tigers Off Season Thread

[Tiger337]

8 minutes ago, AlaskanTigersFan said:

What do you not like about Greene long-term? The prime baseball age for players is 28-32. He's still two to three years away from his prime....... 
 

It's more like 26-29.  Once they hit 30, hitters typically head down hill.  Greene doesn't profile like a young player.  He gets injured a lot and isn't very graceful for someone who is such a good athlete, so he doesn't appear to be the type of hitter who will age well.  The excessive strikeouts are not a good sign either. It seems as if he may already peaked defensively.  He should still be good the next few years, but doesn't seem like a good candidate for a deal with takes him into his mid to late 30s.  

[Arlington]

Tigers will likely have Skubal, Mize, Olson, Melton, Jobe, and Keider, Dylan Smith, SGL, Madden.  I wish they would but they likely won't trade Skubal.  They will probably pick up a couple of projects and maybe 1 third level starter.  If everyone was healthy it could be a fairly good staff.  

[monkeytargets39]

40 minutes ago, AlaskanTigersFan said:

His OPS was .021 different this year than last? So I'm not really sure what you're trying to say. His average was a difference of .004 from the previous year and his OBP was the biggest drop in .035. But he also increased his slugging by .014. Lastly, his BABIP was .021 LOWER than his career average. So he actually should have been better than last year.

What should we be concerned about? I'm legit not following that......  Like you mentioned, he's 25, but is a 2x All-Star before turning 26.......   Yes, his defense could improve (although -2 is pretty close to league average). But so can Kyle Schwarber, Yordan Alvarez, Christian Yelich, Randy Arozarena's as well as many others...... I'd be very happy with those guys in LF...... 

What do you not like about Greene long-term? The prime baseball age for players is 28-32. He's still two to three years away from his prime....... 
 

I’m not saying he isn’t good or isn’t an all-star caliber player.  All I’m saying is that there are key things that make me think as of now that he’s not worth a long term deal and trading him right now would get us a good return that could potentially improve the team now and in the future.  
 

His K rate has ballooned to 30%.  His walk rate plummeted.  He barely OPSd .800 while having career highs in doubles and HRs.  His defense in LF also fell all a cliff this year.  He doesn’t move well—he has a history of lower half injuries, so that’s not likely to get better.

He slashed .218/.279/.694 in the second half.  Is that closer to what he is becoming?

He needs to make A LOT of adjustments and improvements for next year to get back to being a 5+ WAR player.

 

if you can offload him to a desperate contender now and get a good package back—I’d do it.  

Edited October 11 by monkeytargets39

[monkeytargets39]

1 hour ago, Sports_Freak said:

IDK about this. If he cuts back on his strikeouts he probably will sacrifice some power. Say...20 to 25 home runs but only 125 strikeouts? He would probably increase his RBI total. IMO, he would be a much more valuable #3 hitter. As it is, he's a #6 or #7 hitter at best. Hinch needs to adjust his thinking about Riley if he doesn't change his swing.

The problem is that the whole team is #6 hitters outside of Torres.  We need guys who can put the ball on the bat consistently, foul off tough pitches, and draw walks.  Torres was the only regular with above a .333 OBP this year.   

[AlaskanTigersFan]

23 minutes ago, monkeytargets39 said:

I’m not saying he isn’t good or isn’t an all-star caliber player.  All I’m saying is that there are key things that make me think as of now that he’s not worth a long term deal and trading him right now would get us a good return that could potentially improve the team now and in the future.  
 

His K rate has ballooned to 30%.  His walk rate plummeted.  He barely OPSd .800 while having career highs in doubles and HRs.  His defense in LF also fell all a cliff this year.  He doesn’t move well—he has a history of lower half injuries, so that’s not likely to get better.

He slashed .218/.279/.694 in the second half.  Is that closer to what he is becoming?

He needs to make A LOT of adjustments and improvements for next year to get back to being a 5+ WAR player.

 

if you can offload him to a desperate contender now and get a good package back—I’d do it.  

Agree with everything u said. I still think he'll be better than the second half numbers. I think its easy to say he's a first division regular. But if they can move him and get a huge return, I'd be open to that. I'd more like to keep him, sign Kyle Tucker for RF and wait a year for Clark. That'd be one of the best OF's in the AL....... 

[Scottwood]

That was one of the more painful losses in Tigers playoff history.

I'd expect an offseason pretty similar to last year. Most of the improvement will have to come internally. I'd expect us to be the division favorites, though.

[tiger2022]

1 hour ago, AlaskanTigersFan said:

 Career years by McKinstry and Torres helped for sure.

Out of 8 seasons, this is Torres's 5th best year.

[Tigermojo]

Sorry to spoil the fun but I think we'll see almost exactly the same team again next year. I think Harris will try to add the best hitter, starter and reliever that he can. I won't hold my breath they will be "big" additions. This team is going to get significantly more expensive just to field the same guys again. Harris will of course churn the fringes of the 40 man roster all year. I expect them to be back in the playoffs again in 2026.

[Sports_Freak]

18 minutes ago, Tigermojo said:

Sorry to spoil the fun but I think we'll see almost exactly the same team again next year. I think Harris will try to add the best hitter, starter and reliever that he can. I won't hold my breath they will be "big" additions. This team is going to get significantly more expensive just to field the same guys again. Harris will of course churn the fringes of the 40 man roster all year. I expect them to be back in the playoffs again in 2026.

On paper, the Tigers should have a pretty good starting rotation. 6 starting pitchers...Skubal, Mize, Olson, Jobe, Flaherty and Melton. If Flahert stays and injuries don't happen. Olson should be ready for spring, I don't know the timetable on Jobe.

[Tigermojo]

7 minutes ago, Sports_Freak said:

On paper, the Tigers should have a pretty good starting rotation. 6 starting pitchers...Skubal, Mize, Olson, Jobe, Flaherty and Melton. If Flahert stays and injuries don't happen. Olson should be ready for spring, I don't know the timetable on Jobe.

I would say Jobe maybe contributes late in the season and Melton starts as depth at Toledo. Both could be important pieces in the post season.

[Tiger337]

51 minutes ago, Tigermojo said:

Sorry to spoil the fun but I think we'll see almost exactly the same team again next year. I think Harris will try to add the best hitter, starter and reliever that he can. I won't hold my breath they will be "big" additions. This team is going to get significantly more expensive just to field the same guys again. Harris will of course churn the fringes of the 40 man roster all year. I expect them to be back in the playoffs again in 2026.

That's what I expect too.  In fact, this is what I expect them to be like for the next several years.  I don't think they'll ever be a dominant team under the current ownership/management, but I think they'll be competitive most years.  I don't think there is some magical point in the future where they are going to be a great team, but I also don't think it's all going to fall apart.  They've got some young talent on the way, but other guys are leaving.  If that sounded like a complaint, it's not.  Things could be a lot worse that what I just described.    

Edited October 11 by Tiger337

[papalawrence]

In these quotes it seems Skubal is watching what happens this off season. He sees the Tigers as a ALDS team and he wants a WS team. The off season likely impacts Skubal's future in Det

 

Detroit Tigers' Tarik Skubal sets World Series standard moving forward https://share.google/Z6Xzc37sYUcHue0yz

[1776]

25 minutes ago, papalawrence said:

In these quotes it seems Skubal is watching what happens this off season. He sees the Tigers as a ALDS team and he wants a WS team. The off season likely impacts Skubal's future in Det

 

Detroit Tigers' Tarik Skubal sets World Series standard moving forward https://share.google/Z6Xzc37sYUcHue0yz

I read these quotes earlier today and got the same impression. 

[holygoat]

12 hours 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.

Do we know for a fact that Skubal didn't tell AJ he was gassed? I'm not being sarcastic, I honestly don't know.

[Tiger337]

1 hour ago, papalawrence said:

In these quotes it seems Skubal is watching what happens this off season. He sees the Tigers as a ALDS team and he wants a WS team. The off season likely impacts Skubal's future in Det

 

Detroit Tigers' Tarik Skubal sets World Series standard moving forward https://share.google/Z6Xzc37sYUcHue0yz

They could make some great moves and have the best record in baseball and still not win the World Series.  I'm sure he knows that, but he could be saying that they should try to do more.  I don't think it matters what they do though. I don't think there is any real chance he re-signs without becoming a free agent.  

[Toddwert]

it just seems like a way for Skubal to save face when he leaves

[holygoat]

If Skubal is dead-set on becoming an FA, the Tigers must trade him before opening day, IMO.

[SeattleMike]

1 hour ago, holygoat said:

If Skubal is dead-set on becoming an FA, the Tigers must trade him before opening day, IMO.

I don’t think the Tigers are punting on the 2026 season, and I doubt they would receive a return that would make them better in 2026.  So I don’t expect a trade. 

[IdahoBert]

So are they gonna fire hitting coaches or something because they can’t fire the players? Is it customary to wait until after the World Series to do this? I’m not calling for this, but I am honestly curious.

[AlaskanTigersFan]

52 minutes ago, SeattleMike said:

I don’t think the Tigers are punting on the 2026 season, and I doubt they would receive a return that would make them better in 2026.  So I don’t expect a trade. 

Dave Dombrowski's team is win now. He's notorious for emptying the farm in a scorched earth. Skubal makes the Phillies the favorite next year. If we get their top 3 prospects for Skubal, you do it. And Dave might be the guy to do just that...... Makes too much sense. If they re-sign Schwarber, then this becomes a HUGE reality. 

[papalawrence]

I would think the Phillies, Dodgers, Mets, Yankees and Blue Jays would all offer huge packages for Skubal. 

[1984Echoes]

41 minutes ago, AlaskanTigersFan said:

Dave Dombrowski's team is win now. He's notorious for emptying the farm in a scorched earth. Skubal makes the Phillies the favorite next year. If we get their top 3 prospects for Skubal, you do it. And Dave might be the guy to do just that...... Makes too much sense. If they re-sign Schwarber, then this becomes a HUGE reality. 

I think Dombrowski and his Phillies, and possibly the Dodgers, might make "Godfather" offers that Harris should consider.

3 minutes ago, papalawrence said:

I would think the Phillies, Dodgers, Mets, Yankees and Blue Jays would all offer huge packages for Skubal. 

I don't think the Yankees, Mets or Blue Jays could top offers from the Dodgers or Phillies.

 

Just guessing...

[Hart]

I think Kerry Carpenter may be getting off a little easy by fans.  He had a .291 obp.  That's worse than Greene's .313 obp.  His strikeout rate is not near as bad as Riley's but that walk rate is hurting us.  Combine those two with Javy Baez/Trey Sweeney, and that's a lot of ab's used up where guys are not getting on base.  I do agree with others we should shop Greene to see what he would bring back.  

 

Edited October 12 by Hart

[gehringer_2]

1 hour ago, Hart said:

I think Kerry Carpenter may be getting off a little easy by fans.  He had a .291 obp.  That's worse than Greene's .313 obp.  His strikeout rate is not near as bad as Riley's but that walk rate is hurting us.  Combine those two with Javy Baez/Trey Sweeney, and that's a lot of ab's used up where guys are not getting on base.  I do agree with others we should shop Greene to see what he would bring back.  

 

Carpenter is very on/off hitter. He had 9 games with 3 or more hits, 30 games with two or more, but 61 with none.

[holygoat]

15 hours ago, SeattleMike said:

I don’t think the Tigers are punting on the 2026 season, and I doubt they would receive a return that would make them better in 2026.  So I don’t expect a trade. 

I don't think trading Skubal necessarily equals punting on 2026. They can take whatever money they have allocated for Skubal to acquire upgrades elsewhere, in addition to what they receive in the trade. It's entirely possible that they could improve other positions enough to either match or improve on 2025. 

My first wish is for the Tigers to lock Skubal down long-term this off-season, but if he's dead-set on being a FA, I don't want to lose him for nothing.