With the MLB postseason taking center stage and the Wild Card races playing out, there hasn’t been much Tigers chatter to chase down. Still, there is news on Detroit’s side: Gleyber Torres and Jack Flaherty are among the Tigers expected to hit free agency this offseason, with extensions with the club looking unlikely.
Another Tigers note worth watching is John Peck, who will be heading to the AFL.
Beyond that, most of the conversation around baseball is coming from October itself. The Yankees moved past the Red Sox to reach the ALDS, and there’s already debate about whether they were the only team that handled its Wild Card roster correctly.
Elsewhere, the Orioles are facing a difficult stretch ahead because of ongoing injuries, while the Padres punched their ticket to the NLDS. The White Sox, meanwhile, may not have needed any divine help to get to the ALDS.
There are plenty of other postseason angles making the rounds, too: which ballparks give teams the best home-field edge, what the Blue Jays’ GM and CEO think about those Vladimir Guerrero Jr. comments, and some of the most memorable moments in Wild Card history. There’s also a look at building the ideal postseason pitching staff, plus a breakdown of how things worsened for the Red Sox after they got back to their clubhouse following the Wild Card loss.
On the opinion and reaction front, Astros fans were not quiet after Houston was swept from the Wild Card series, and Sonny Gray said he was unhappy about being removed from his Wild Card start after just 70 pitches. The Diamondbacks will keep Torey Lovullo as manager, while a judge ruled that the rooftops around Wrigley Field cannot sell tickets to watch Cubs games.
A few other postseason-related pieces round out the day, including why a rigid bullpen plan doomed the Red Sox, how the ABS system is already reshaping October baseball, whether this could be the last year of the Dodgers’ dynasty, and Willson Contreras’ thoughts on Big Data Baseball.
In Other News...
Tigers Sent A Clear Message With Max Anderson's Delay
Max Andersons stay in Triple-A has said as much about the Tigers roster as it has about his bat. Even with a strong season and signs of real growth in plate discipline, Detroit has kept the infielder in the minors while sorting through a crowded middle-infield picture and weighing how his game fits next to players already in the mix, including Gleyber Torres, Hao-Yu Lee and John Peck.
For the Tigers, the delay looks less like hesitation than a deliberate choice to protect flexibility and keep Anderson on a development path that still has value for both sides. His limited defensive versatility gives the front office one more reason to wait, and the service-time angle only adds to the sense that Detroit is treating his eventual arrival as a matter of timing as much as talent. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Face A Tough Josue Briceo Question With Torkelson Still In Place
The Tigers spent their end-of-season press conference making the same point in different ways: Spencer Torkelson and Colt Keith are still firmly in the plan. Scott Harris and AJ Hinch both reinforced that message as Detroit looks ahead, even while the organization also keeps one eye on Josue Briceo, whose bat has put him on the radar as a real part of the future.
Briceos timeline adds another layer to an infield picture that already has some traffic in it. Harris said the prospect will be part of the clubs plans in 2027, which is a long way from a clean roster decision and a reminder that the Tigers may eventually have to sort out how to fit another young bat into a group that already includes Torkelson and Keith. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Face A Tough Kenley Jansen Decision After His Late Turnaround
Kenley Jansens first season in Detroit did not get off to the kind of start the Tigers imagined when they brought him in on a one-year deal with a team option for 2026, but the veteran right-hander settled in as the year went on. After a difficult first half, he turned in a much sharper stretch down the stretch, with the underlying numbers backing up what the Tigers saw on the mound: a low ERA, a low WHIP and a strikeout rate that climbed as his cut fastball became more effective.
For Detroit, the question now is not whether Jansen still has value, but how much confidence the club has in what it saw late in the season. He did a better job of keeping the ball off barrels and limiting hard contact, and opponents did not square him up often when he was right. The Tigers have the option in front of them, but his late turnaround at least gives the front office something real to weigh as it looks at the bullpen plan for next year. [Read more 🡒]