A lot of the faces from Detroit’s 2024 run have already drifted away, and the list keeps getting longer.
Jason Foley, who closed games for the Tigers during that stretch, now has a 6.00 ERA with the Giants. Andy Ibáñez, the man who delivered the clinching three-run double against the Astros in the Wild Card, is in the Mets’ organization and is batting .265 with a .682 OPS in Triple-A.
Justyn-Henry Malloy is hitting .158 with a .582 OPS for the Rays’ Triple-A club. Jace Jung, Trey Sweeney, Beau Brieske, Sean Guenther, Brenan Hanifee and Ty Madden are still in the Tigers’ system, but they’ve seen little or no major league action this season because of performance or injury.
That makes the 2024 run feel even farther away, especially with Detroit’s 2026 outlook looking shaky. The Tigers are still six games under .500 and could be preparing to trade their ace. A split against the Royals, who are the third-worst team in the American League, isn’t going to move the needle.
And one of the last remaining holdovers from that group is struggling badly. Matt Vierling, once praised for his clubhouse presence and coming off a career-best 2.8 bWAR in 2024, has become one of the team’s biggest disappointments.
In 90 games this season, Vierling is hitting .203 with a .576 OPS, which puts him among the worst qualified hitters in the game.
The Tigers have long valued Vierling’s defensive versatility, and he was solid in Detroit in 2023 before becoming a folk hero in 2024. But he played only 31 games last season because of long stretches on the IL, and he hasn’t looked the same since.
He’s still one of the older position players on the roster, and there’s no question he matters in the clubhouse. But when he strikes out swinging in the bottom of the ninth with a runner on, like he did Saturday in a loss to the Royals, that goodwill only goes so far.
Detroit’s front office has shown a clear preference for players like Vierling and Zach McKinstry - veterans who can move around the diamond, have been around a while and don’t cost much. Still, if the Tigers get past the trade deadline without a major sell-off and keep their postseason hopes alive, Vierling may want to keep an eye over his shoulder. Max Clark is right behind him.
In Other News...
Brewers Just Made Detroits Ace Dilemma Feel A Lot More Real
Milwaukees search for rotation help has taken on a familiar shape for a contender with a strong farm system and a tight payroll. Rather than shopping only for the usual short-term rental, the Brewers are weighing whether to use extra prospect capital to make a bigger swing for a higher-end starter, with the idea being to get the other club to take on more of the remaining contract.
For Detroit, that kind of market chatter only sharpens the spotlight on Tarik Skubal and the value he carries if teams start treating him as a premium trade target. The Brewers are also looking at names such as Robbie Ray and Kevin Gausman, while keeping cheaper fallback options in mind, but the broader message is clear: once clubs start structuring deals around salary relief and prospect depth, the asking price for an ace can feel a lot more real. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Fans Wont Like Which Contender Just Entered The Rumor Mill
The trade deadline is starting to loom for a Rays club that still looks like it plans to be active, with catcher, pitching and second base among the areas it could try to upgrade. For Detroit fans, the reason to keep an eye on Tampa Bay is simple: the Rays have enough need and enough ambition to wander into the same market as a lot of contenders, and that makes them a team worth watching as the rumors start to swirl.
At the same time, the Rays are not exactly making the decision easy on themselves. Recent better play from Cedric Mullins, Chandler Simpson, Nick Fortes and Victor Mesa Jr. has given the front office more to weigh, and a recent win over the Guardians only added to that sense of a roster that is getting useful contributions from unexpected places. When a contender starts getting real production from role players this late in the season, every deadline move gets a little more complicated. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Hit Deadline Crossroads As Key Returns Collide With New Concern
The Tigers are entering the trade deadline with a roster picture that is starting to shift in a few important places. Javier Bez is working through a rehab assignment in Triple-A and is getting closer to a major league return, while Jackson Jobe has also progressed in his recovery and is moving toward Triple-A as part of that process.
At the same time, there is still a fresh layer of uncertainty around the clubs health. Kerry Carpenter is being evaluated after aggravating a heel issue in a recent game, and that adds another moving part for a team already trying to sort out how its next stretch should look. With reinforcements on the way and one more injury situation still being checked, Detroits deadline week has become more complicated by the day. [Read more 🡒]