The Detroit Tigers already got a taste of what a left-handed-heavy rotation can do, and the numbers were hard to ignore.
For a stretch, the idea looked even better when the club signed Framber Valdez earlier this year to pair with Tarik Skubal. That vision changed quickly once Skubal’s salary arbitration hearing and the possibility of him becoming the biggest name on the trade market shifted expectations. Then the situation got worse: Framber couldn’t stay upright long enough, and Skubal wound up on the injured list after surgery to remove loose bodies from his left elbow, sidelining him for more than a month.
Skubal didn’t return until June 13. When he finally got back, he still delivered, going 4-3 with a 2.87 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 53 ⅓ innings over his last nine starts. July was his sharpest run, as he went 3-1 with a 2.03 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 31 innings before being sent to the Dodgers on Aug. 2, ending his run in Detroit.
That left Framber as the Tigers’ top starter, and his finish offered enough to at least hint at a rebound in his second season with the team. In that late stretch, he did a better job limiting hard contact, climbing from the 77th percentile to the 85th. His Hard Hit% allowed also improved, rising from the 40th percentile to the 63rd, while his ground-ball ability held steady.
The broader issue was that he still found himself too often working from behind or drifting out of the strike zone, and the drop in strikeouts made those mistakes more costly.
Even so, there’s still a case for Framber to bounce back, and that matters if Detroit wants to add another left-handed arm to reinforce the rotation. The reason is simple: when Skubal and Framber were on the mound together, the Tigers were extremely effective, and that improved again after the trade deadline once the Dominican pitcher adjusted.
Detroit finished with a combined 2.91 xFIP, the best mark in the American League. Narrow that down to just the starters - basically the Skubal-Framber combination, with brief appearances from Tyler Holton and Andrew Sears - and the xFIP drops to 2.68.
That kind of success lines up with another clear trend: most left-handed hitters in the American League Central struggled against left-handed pitching. The Minnesota Twins posted a 75 wRC+, the Kansas City Royals a 77 wRC+, and the Cleveland Guardians an 82 wRC+, leaving those offenses near the bottom of the league.
With Skubal gone, Detroit’s options on the left side of the market include Trevor Rogers, a former Tiger, along with Matthew Boyd, David Peterson, Kris Bubic, and Shota Imanaga. That gives the Tigers a real chance to weigh their budget and decide whether the answer is a short-term deal or a longer commitment.
In Other News...
Tigers Prospect Zyhir Hope Is Forcing A Bigger Question Than Expected
Zyhir Hope has become one of the more interesting names in the Tigers system since arriving in the Tarik Skubal trade, and the late-season surge he showed was followed by a strong run in the Arizona Fall League. For a player whose profile already leaned on athleticism, that kind of finish matters, especially for an organization that is always looking for outfield help that can move quickly if the bat keeps coming.
The next question is less about whether Hope belongs on the radar and more about how fast the Tigers want to push him. Some evaluators have raised concerns about his conditioning, but one American League scout believes better nutrition and a more consistent conditioning plan could unlock even more of what he already brings. If that happens, Hope could open next season in line for a Triple-A look and eventually force Detroit to rethink its outfield picture sooner than expected. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Would Face A Brutal Price To Enter Elly De La Cruz Talks
Even with the Tigers looking for ways to keep pushing their roster forward, the idea of getting into an Elly De La Cruz trade discussion would come with a staggering cost. Former Reds GM Jim Bowden floated the possibility that Cincinnati could at least listen on the two-time All-Star, who is under team control through 2029, and that alone is enough to put a player of De La Cruzs caliber in the center of the rumor mill. Interest from clubs like the Red Sox and Dodgers only underscores how quickly a player with his talent, age and marketability would become one of the biggest names available.
For Detroit, the harder part is that the kind of prospect package it could assemble would likely fall short of what Cincinnati would want. The Reds are said to prefer young major leaguers over prospect-heavy offers, which raises the bar even further for any team trying to pry loose a franchise shortstop. De La Cruzs recent performance only adds to the intrigue, but it also makes clear why this would be the sort of deal that could drain a farm system before it ever gets off the ground. [Read more 🡒]
Max Clark Just Made Detroits Kevin McGonigle Case Even Louder
Kevin McGonigles 2026 season already put him squarely in the middle of Detroits long-term plans, and Max Clarks late arrival only sharpened the conversation around how quickly the Tigers young core is coming together. McGonigle backed up the hype with an All-Star nod, two Silver Slugger nominations and a Rookie of the Year nomination, while finishing with a .278 average, 18 home runs and 7.1 WAR to give the lineup a real middle-of-the-order presence.
Clarks MLB debut came late in the year, but it still mattered because it added another high-end name to a group the Tigers expect to lean on for years. With both players finishing the season on the roster, Detroit suddenly has a pair of young talents who can shape the next phase of the franchise, and the way Clark enters that picture only makes McGonigles case look even stronger. [Read more 🡒]