Riley Greene has added another honor to a strong season, earning a nomination for the Hank Aaron Award, which goes to the players with the best offensive performances of the year.
That was one of the Tigers notes on a day when Justin Verlander also pulled at the emotions a little more. Verlander made a curtain-call style appearance on Tuesday night, then turned up on MLB Network as an analyst and surprised Freddie Freeman and Manny Machado, who were not expecting to be interviewed by the former Tigers ace only days after his retirement.
Around the rest of the postseason, the chaos has been doing what chaos does. The White Sox have kept rolling, the Yankees keep looking like they may be doing damage to themselves, and the Braves are playing with the urgency of a team that knows there may not be another chance. The Guardians, meanwhile, are dealing with a glaring weakness that’s helping sink them.
There’s been no shortage of other October storylines either. Shohei Ohtani’s NLDS slump has become a talking point.
Mason Miller’s pitch tipping has drawn attention, even as Miller says he wasn’t tipping. Jackson Chourio is becoming a postseason hero.
Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s postgame comments made his on-field mistakes look even worse. And the White Sox’s run has people revisiting the Garrett Crochet trade and wondering how Chicago’s 2026 club came together so fast.
Elsewhere, there are offseason questions already taking shape for the Mets, the Red Sox say they don’t believe they’re leaning too heavily on analytics, and there’s also a breakdown of how teams can overcome a 0-2 start in the postseason. There’s even an explanation of the rules for stadiums with domes and retractable roofs.
The news cycle also included losses away from the field, with former Dodgers GM Fred Claire and Sam McDowell, the All-Star who inspired a character on “Cheers,” both passing away. Josh Naylor and Cal Raleigh have each undergone offseason surgeries, and there were broader postseason notes about the Rays’ success against the Yankees, plus a look at how broadcasters handle accusations of bias in October.
In Other News...
Tigers May Have Found A Cheaper Matt Vierling Replacement
Scott Harris has made it pretty clear the Tigers are leaning toward a winter built on internal growth rather than splurging on the open market, and that philosophy is already shaping the conversation around the roster. With Gleyber Torres headed out and Matt Vierling potentially on the non-tender bubble, Detroit could be looking for a utility answer who can handle multiple spots without forcing the club into a pricey commitment.
Mauricio Dubn fits that profile as well as just about anyone available. He brings strong defensive value, he just put together a career-best offensive season, and as a free agent he would give the Tigers a cheaper way to keep the roster flexible while they sort out the infield and outfield mix. The appeal is obvious, even if the bigger question is whether Detroit sees him as the kind of stopgap worth prioritizing this winter. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers May Be Letting One Costly Mistake Shape This Offseason
Detroits offseason messaging has been clear enough: the Tigers want to keep building from within, leaning on player development first and using free agency mainly to fill in around the edges. The clubs baseball operations president said as much, stressing that the organization still plans to dip into the market when it makes sense, but with a priority on growing its own core rather than chasing help at every turn.
Still, theres a reason some around the game think Detroit may be extra careful about spending. MLB insider Ken Rosenthal pointed to the weight of the Javier Baez contract as a possible factor in how aggressively the Tigers move this winter, given the uneven return theyve gotten over five seasons. The same broader conversation includes the clubs major deal for Framber Valdez, which has gotten off to a tough start but is still viewed as the kind of commitment that could age better than the Baez agreement if the Tigers get the payoff they were hoping for. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Can't Fix This Roster Until Scott Harris Solves One Problem
The Tigers offseason checklist starts in the same place their late-season frustration did: the bullpen. Detroit finished with 32 saves and 32 blown saves, a split that tells the story of a relief group that rarely made life easy in the ninth inning. President of baseball operations Scott Harris has already acknowledged the roster lacks depth, and with a club option on Kenley Jansen sitting there, the front office has a real decision to make before it can even get to the bigger roster questions.
Scott Harris does not need to overhaul the whole relief corps to make a meaningful upgrade, but he does need one arm he can trust when games get tight late. A dependable late-inning reliever has to be near the top of the Tigers winter priorities, whether that comes through the market or by declining to lean on the current option. Free agents such as David Bednar fit the type of target Detroit figures to examine, even if there is no indication negotiations have started yet. [Read more 🡒]