With a disappointing 2026 season winding down, the Detroit Tigers’ attention has already shifted to the winter - and the front office has some real calls to make.
The deadline moves involving Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize took care of two major issues, but Detroit still has plenty left on its plate. The club could have as many as six unrestricted free agents, and three of them are locked into straightforward exits: Justin Verlander, Gleyber Torres and Jack Flaherty will all need new contracts, or in Verlander’s case, are headed toward retirement.
The more interesting decisions belong to the three players with team options for 2027. Kenley Jansen, Drew Anderson and Tyler Kinley are all under Detroit’s control, with the Tigers needing to decide whether to bring them back or let them reach free agency five days after the World Series. Jansen’s option is worth $12 million, Anderson’s is $10 million and Kinley’s is $5.5 million.
Jansen is the toughest read. His first year in Detroit has not matched his 2025 production, with his saves dropping from 29 to 21, his ERA climbing from 2.59 to 3.35 and his strikeout total falling from 57 to 49.
He is also approaching 39, so some decline was always part of the picture. Still, the Tigers’ bullpen has been rough across the board, and even late-game arms like Kyle Finnegan and Will Vest have been worse than Jansen.
Detroit may decide that a $12 million gamble is worth it if it wants a proven, experienced late-inning option for a team that still expects to contend next season.
Anderson looks like the cleanest decision of the bunch. Detroit’s pitching depth got hit hard by the Skubal and Mize trades, and Anderson answered by sliding into the rotation and holding up well.
In his first season back stateside after four years in Asia, he has gone 5-7 with a 3.67 ERA across 49 appearances and 11 starts. Since moving into the rotation, the 32-year-old has been even better, posting a 1-3 record with a 2.61 ERA over 51.2 innings.
With so much uncertainty around the staff, keeping him at $10 million would give the Tigers at least one stabilizing piece.
That matters because the 2027 rotation picture is still messy. Framber Valdez could be on the way out after an underwhelming season and is due $42 million next year.
Jackson Jobe, Keider Montero and a returning Reese Olson are slated to be back, but there is not much certainty beyond that. River Ryan may be on the way, but that does not exactly clear things up.
Kinley has made the most of his time in Detroit after arriving on a waiver claim in August following his release by the Atlanta Braves. The right-hander has gone 1-0 with a 1.35 ERA in 13 games as a Tiger, a strong finish after his ERA had hovered around 4.00 with Atlanta.
Like his 2025 midseason move from Colorado to Atlanta, the change of scenery has given him a jolt. He has become a trusted late-inning arm for A.J.
Hinch, but Detroit is unlikely to make him a major offseason priority.
So while the Tigers’ winter won’t be defined by one simple move, it does start with these three options. Greenberg and the front office have a complicated road ahead, and the first step is deciding which of their own players are worth keeping around.
In Other News...
Tigers Just Made A Feel Good Move Fans Will Love
For a fan base that has spent plenty of time clinging to continuity anywhere it can find it, the Tigers just made a move aimed squarely at comfort and familiarity. Detroit announced multi-year extensions for television play-by-play voice Jason Benetti and radio play-by-play voice Dan Dickerson, locking in two of the most recognizable parts of the game-day experience for years to come.
Benetti and Dickerson have each become woven into the rhythm of Tigers baseball, and keeping both in place gives the organization stability in the broadcast booth as well as on the field. The team did not disclose the contract terms, but the message was clear enough: this is the kind of long-term commitment that resonates with listeners who have made those voices part of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Fans Wont All Agree On This McGonigle ROY Debate
The American League Rookie of the Year conversation has gotten a little more interesting than many Tigers fans probably expected, with Kevin McGonigle in the mix and Clevelands Parker Messick suddenly part of the discussion too. MLB.coms Anthony Castrovince made the case that the race should be tighter than it first looked, pointing to Messicks work on the mound and the fact that he has helped a division-leading club, which naturally adds another layer to a debate that already had Detroit followers paying close attention.
For Tigers fans, the question is less about whether McGonigle belongs in the conversation and more about how much weight to give a pitcher like Messick when voters are sorting out the award. The disagreement is real because opinions on value can split quickly, especially when one player is tied to a pennant race and the other is carrying the expectation of being the face of Detroits rookie case. And since postseason performance does not count in the voting, the arguments over who deserves the edge will have to be settled before October even gets a chance to enter the picture. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Fans Get One Last Verlander-Scherzer Farewell Twist
Justin Verlander is set to take the mound Saturday against the Pirates for what will be the final start of his career, a fitting cap for one of the defining pitchers of his era. For Tigers fans, the timing carries an extra jolt because Verlander and Max Scherzer were once the one-two punch in Detroit, a duo that helped shape a memorable stretch of baseball in the city before both went on to become headline arms elsewhere.
Scherzer is expected to start the Blue Jays' season finale Sunday, leaving open the possibility that two former Tigers aces could be closing their careers on back-to-back days. Verlander already sits atop the active strikeout leaderboard, with Scherzer not far behind, and the overlap of their endings gives Detroit followers one more chance to look back at what their time together meant, even as one retirement is confirmed and the other still hangs in the air. [Read more 🡒]