The Detroit Tigers enter the offseason with a familiar kind of problem: they’re still respected, but the shine has worn off.
MLB.com’s Will Leitch placed Detroit 19th in his way-too-early 2027 power rankings, a spot that reflects a club that slipped after carrying real expectations into 2026. The Tigers were coming off back-to-back postseason trips, but instead of making a deeper run, they missed the playoffs, sold at the trade deadline and finished fourth in the AL Central at 76-86.
That drop doesn’t read like a collapse so much as a setback, and that distinction matters. Detroit didn’t tumble into irrelevance. It just took a step backward, which leaves room for a rebound if the offseason goes right.
The biggest issue was the same one that haunted them all year: the bullpen and the offense never quite held together at the same time. The bats were maddeningly uneven, with stretches that looked dangerous and others that looked flat-out lifeless.
May was the low point, when Detroit went 6-22. July told a different story at 15-9, which is part of why the lineup still feels more volatile than broken.
There’s talent in the group, even if it isn’t stacked with obvious stars from top to bottom. Kevin McGonigle, Riley Greene and Dillon Dingler all made the All-Star team this past season, and that gives the Tigers a base to build around. The offense has enough pieces to believe in improvement next year.
A full season from Max Clark could push that even further. Clark began to look more comfortable in the batter’s box, and that kind of growth would help Detroit start climbing back toward the top 15. If Hao-Yu Lee, Ben Malgeri and Eduardo Valencia also prove this season wasn’t a one-off, the Tigers’ youth movement could end up making these rankings look conservative.
On the pitching side, there’s a clear opening. Kenley Jansen is now a free agent, Jacob Waguespack is back on a one-year deal, and young arms like Keider Montero and Drew Anderson can help in both the bullpen and the rotation without costing much. That gives Detroit some flexibility, and it also points to where the urgency should be.
Scott Harris said the club will be active in free agency, though he’s unlikely to build through it. Even so, adding an established closer this winter could change the conversation quickly. Detroit’s bullpen was historically bad last season, and there’s also uncertainty around whether Will Vest can return to his closing role in 2025 after two surgeries that ended his 2026 campaign.
That’s why the Tigers’ offseason feels pretty straightforward: they have enough young position talent to justify optimism, but the bullpen needs a real fix. If they land a dominant arm, the gap between Detroit and teams like the Baltimore Orioles and New York Mets in the rankings could close fast.
For now, 19th feels about right. But the Tigers have enough moving pieces to climb if this winter delivers.
In Other News...
Tigers Free Agency Debate Keeps Coming Back To One Roster Problem
The Tigers keep getting mentioned in the same free-agent conversations, but the roster picture in Detroit keeps steering the discussion back to the same place. With a crowded left side of the infield already packed with prospects and other options, the idea of adding a second baseman looks more like a luxury than a necessity, even with names like Jazz Chisholm and Luis Arraez floating around in speculation.
What Detroit needs more clearly is help in the bullpen, where the fit is easier to see and the spending expectations make more sense. Raisel Iglesias has been pointed to as the kind of arm that matches both the clubs needs and the market, which is why the smarter bet for the Tigers appears to be relief reinforcements rather than a run at another middle infielder. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers May Have Created A Bench Problem They Still Need To Solve
The Tigers roster shuffle around the deadline did more than just change the back end of the bullpen pipeline. By sending Jahmai Jones to Boston on July 14 and officially bringing in pitching prospect Jojo Ingrassia on Aug. 1, Detroit opened a spot that helped pave the way for catcher Eduardo Valencia to come back up, and Valencia has done enough to look like part of the answer. But the move also left the club with a familiar kind of hole to manage, one tied to how it wants to balance its bench on a day-to-day basis.
Jones, meanwhile, has already shown Boston something useful by hitting left-handed pitching better there, which only sharpens the question of what Detroit wants in that right-handed hitting role. Ingrassias early work in High-A has been uneven, so the trade return is still a developing piece rather than an immediate fix. For a Tigers team trying to keep its lineup flexible, the bench now looks like one more area where the front office may still need to solve a problem it created. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Face A Familiar Tarik Skubal Question Again
Tarik Skubal is headed toward the kind of free-agent market that can quickly turn into a bidding war, with several clubs expected to line up for his services. The Dodgers, Mets, Angels, Padres and White Sox are all mentioned as potential suitors, while the Tigers remain in the mix as a familiar possibility for the left-hander who has become one of the more prominent names on the board.
For Detroit, the question is less about interest than about price. The club is reportedly not expected to match Skubals asking level, and there is a sense it may be holding out for a discount that never really arrives. At some point, the Tigers may have to decide whether to keep waiting on a reunion that feels increasingly unlikely or redirect those resources toward other needs. [Read more 🡒]