The Detroit Tigers are out of postseason contention, which means the conversation has already turned to 2027 and which pieces are worth carrying forward. With only 26 roster spots to work with for most of the season, the front office has to sort through the young players who have shown enough to stick and the ones who may be squeezed out by need.
A few names stand out for different reasons, but Eduardo Valencia probably tops the list of the less obvious cases. His timing matters here.
If he had been promoted earlier and put up the same numbers, he might not feel like a surprise at all. Instead, he lands in this group because the sample is still small, even if the production has been loud.
In under 130 at-bats, Valencia is hitting .342 with a .976 OPS, and his July debut gave the club a jolt it badly needed. The bat has done the talking, and that matters for a catcher trying to carve out a role.
The glove is still the question. Valencia is not considered the best catcher defensively, but that doesn’t erase the value he brings as a backup to Gold Glover Dillon Dingler.
A.J. Hinch could also take a look at him at first base to open up more at-bats when he is not catching or serving as the DH.
Detroit has been searching for a right-handed bat with some pop, and if Valencia carries this stretch into spring training, he has made a real case to return in 2027 over others in the system who could be in the mix for the job.
Ben Malgeri has also done enough to stay in the conversation. Detroit’s outfield depth is crowded, which is usually a good problem, but the Tigers still need players who can handle specific jobs well.
Malgeri has offered steady defense at both corner outfield spots, and his bat has been productive enough to keep him around. He probably is not an everyday player at this point, but that is not the assignment.
He fits the mold of a dependable option when someone needs a day off, and Hinch has often turned to late-inning defensive substitutions in tight games. Malgeri looks built for that role.
That matters even more with the futures of Matt Vierling and Wenceel Perez in Detroit still uncertain. Malgeri has done more than both of them in 2026 to put himself in position for that fourth-outfielder spot. Before the series finale against the Washington Nationals, he was hitting .243 with four home runs, 18 RBIs and an .748 OPS, along with 17 walks and 35 strikeouts.
The bullpen is where the Tigers may need the most help, but there are still a couple of arms worth keeping in mind. Ty Madden is one of them.
The former 32nd pick in the 2021 MLB Draft has shown he can be useful when healthy, even if injuries have interrupted his path and cost him all of 2025. He was recalled from Triple-A after Kyle Finnegan went on the injured list, and now he has a chance to show why he could fit as either a long-relief option or a shorter-burst reliever for a team that needs more dependable arms in key moments.
Madden’s 2026 line backs up the case. He has a 3.48 ERA with 43 strikeouts and a 1.07 WHIP in 44 innings.
For his career, he has a 1.19 WHIP with 60 strikeouts and 22 walks in 25 games. The health piece is the key, but if he stays on the mound, Detroit has reason to keep him in the bullpen picture.
Jacob Waguespack is another reliever who deserves another look. This has been the best season of his career, with a 2.47 ERA over 43.2 innings, and there is value in that kind of stability.
If the Tigers miss out on a bullpen target this offseason, Waguespack gives them a familiar arm who has shown he can deliver in pressure spots. In 52 at-bats with runners on base this season, he has held opponents to a .077 batting average.
The one flaw is hard to ignore: the ball can leave the park against him. Waguespack has allowed six home runs in 33 games this season, and that will remain part of the evaluation. Still, with the bullpen in need of help, he has at least made himself part of the 2027 conversation.
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