Tigers Fans Want Action, Not Patience - And Scott Harris Isn’t Delivering It
The Detroit Tigers have spent the better part of a decade selling hope. Prospects, patience, and promises have been the currency of this rebuild.
But after a second-half offensive collapse in 2025 - one that exposed the lineup’s thin margins - the fanbase came into this offseason not looking for more slogans. They were looking for solutions.
Instead, they got more of the same from Scott Harris.
The Tigers’ president of baseball operations took the podium this week and doubled down on a familiar message: trust the process. When asked about fixing the offense, Harris spoke about “making space for natural change” and referenced unnamed young players who “aren’t top of mind yet.” In other words, the Tigers didn’t add impact bats this winter because they’re still betting on internal growth.
And Tigers fans have heard that tune before. Too many times.
Every offseason since Harris took over has carried that same underlying theme: just wait a little longer. The roster’s evolving.
The kids are coming. The plan is working.
But each year, the offense stays stuck in neutral - often ranking near the bottom of the league - while the front office preaches patience.
This winter, though, felt like it should’ve been different. Detroit finally showed signs of turning a corner over the past two seasons.
Tarik Skubal emerged as a legitimate ace. The bullpen got a veteran anchor in Kenley Jansen.
The young core started to gel. For the first time in years, the window to compete wasn’t theoretical - it was cracking open.
That’s why Harris’ comments this week didn’t land like optimism. They landed like a missed opportunity.
He acknowledged the offense fell apart late in the season. But his fix doesn’t appear to involve adding established hitters. Instead, he’s banking on the idea that just because the names in the lineup look the same, the results will be different.
“I think there’s an important point here: just because a lot of the names look the same doesn’t mean the team is the same,” Harris said on Wednesday.
It’s a fair point - in theory. Players grow.
Prospects develop. Chemistry matters.
But to a fanbase that’s been asked to wait for years, that answer doesn’t feel like progress. It feels like another stall.
Saying the team is changing without showing how doesn’t inspire confidence. Especially when “making space” for players who “aren’t top of mind yet” sounds more like a hedge than a plan.
It suggests the Tigers didn’t pursue proven hitters not because they couldn’t - but because they didn’t want to risk blocking unproven ones. That’s not roster building.
That’s gambling.
And Tigers fans aren’t anti-prospect. Far from it.
This is a fanbase that’s lived off prospect rankings and minor league box scores for years. But there’s a difference between developing talent and using that as a reason not to upgrade.
The best teams don’t protect hypothetical breakouts - they challenge young players to earn their way in. They create competition.
They raise the floor.
Right now, the Tigers are doing the opposite. They’re still operating like a team in transition, while asking fans to invest like they’re ready to contend. That disconnect is where the frustration is rooted.
This isn’t about demanding reckless spending or flashy trades. It’s about wanting to see urgency from a front office that’s been preaching patience for years. It’s about recognizing that windows in baseball don’t stay open forever - especially when you’ve got a frontline starter like Skubal in his prime and a bullpen finally built to close games out.
Fans believed this offseason might be the one where Harris pushed the team forward - not necessarily all-in, but at least a step closer to the edge. Instead, it feels like the Tigers are still stuck in wait-and-see mode, hoping internal growth does the heavy lifting.
When Harris says “this team is changing,” fans look at the lineup and ask, “How?” The names are familiar.
The questions are the same. The approach hasn’t shifted.
And eventually, “trust the process” stops working if the process never evolves.
Tigers fans aren’t asking for miracles. They’re asking for a front office that understands the stakes.
One that realizes this moment - with young pitching, a stabilized bullpen, and a wide-open division - doesn’t come around often. And if you keep waiting for the future, the present might slip right past you.
Scott Harris may believe in the direction this team is heading. But until the results - and the roster - reflect that belief, he’s going to have a hard time convincing the fans to keep following him down the same path.