The Tigers are reshaping a lot more than just the dugout.
Detroit announced a series of staff changes Friday, with manager A.J. Hinch getting a new first base coach, the front office welcoming back a familiar name and the club also reworking key jobs on the medical and athletic training side. Taken together, the moves point to an organization trying to tighten up every layer after a 2026 season hit hard by injuries.
Kyle Hudson is the new first base and baserunning coach. The 39-year-old, who was with the Boston Red Sox as third base coach, takes over for Anthony Sanders and will also help with the outfielders. Hudson played for Baltimore in 2011 and was on Alex Cora’s staff in Boston before losing his job when Cora was fired in April.
Detroit also added Martin Maldonado as quality coach, a move that could have an extra layer of value for pitcher Framber Valdez. Maldonado caught Valdez in Houston and was behind the plate when Valdez threw a no-hitter against Cleveland on Aug. 1, 2023.
Ryan Sienko, previously the Tigers’ catching coach, will now add bullpen coach duties as well.
The front office move brings Jay Sartori back to Detroit as vice president of baseball operations. Sartori originally joined the organization in 2015 under Al Avila and later worked for Scott Harris. He also helped develop “Caesar,” the club’s internal software system, which launched in 2017.
Hinch has been clear about what Sartori meant to the organization. “Jay was incredible when I first got here [in October 2020],” Hinch said Sept.
- “He was very instrumental in the building of a lot of different processes, a lot of different things behind the scenes, and it’s never talked about publicly.
It’s never really you know discussed on the credit that goes around to building the infrastructure of an organization.”
Sartori left the Tigers in August 2025 to take a job with the Atlantic Coast Conference as vice president of sport technology and innovation, a move he made to be closer to family. Hinch also praised the return in September, saying, “Obviously, it’s a huge addition to come back,” and calling him a “Friendly face” who “takes so much off the plate of other people around baseball operations.”
Detroit’s medical department also gets a new leader. Scott Peters has been hired as medical director after most recently serving as assistant director, health and performance science, scouting for the Toronto Blue Jays. He’ll oversee medical operations across the organization.
And Jeremiah Randall is joining the Tigers as head athletic trainer/physical therapist. Randall spent 2016-25 as the Houston Astros’ head athletic trainer, overlapping with Hinch for the first four seasons. In Detroit, he’ll be the operational lead for the major league medical team.
In Other News...
Tigers Linked To Lefty Whose Value Depends On One Big Question
David Peterson has become an interesting name for clubs looking for rotation help without a long-term commitment, and the Tigers fit that profile as well as anyone. The left-hander has logged more than 400 innings over the last three seasons, has shown an ability to keep the ball on the ground and limit home runs, and his profile got a boost after he was traded from the Mets to the Cubs, where his control and strikeout-to-walk ratio improved.
For Detroit, the appeal is obvious: a one-year deal could bring in a cost-effective arm who might stabilize the middle of the rotation. The question is whether the version of Peterson the Tigers would be buying is the one that sharpened late in the year or the one whose pitch mix still leaves some uncertainty, and that is the part of his market that will determine how far his value really goes. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers May Have A Familiar Answer To Their Bullpen Need
The Tigers are still sorting through bullpen options, and one name that keeps surfacing is a familiar one for AJ Hinch. Bryan Abreu, who worked under Hinch with the Astros in 2019, is viewed as a strong candidate to fit Detroits relief mix as the club looks for more swing-and-miss help in the late innings.
Abreus 2026 season did not begin smoothly, but he settled in as the year went on and finished with a 3.73 ERA and 80 strikeouts over 66 1/3 innings. For a Tigers bullpen that could use a power arm with a proven strikeout profile, the appeal is obvious, even if the next step in the fit still has to play out. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers May Have Found Overlooked Rotation Help In The Mize Trade
When the Tigers dealt away Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize at the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline, it signaled just how far the season had gone off track. Skubal went to the Dodgers for Zyhir Hope, River Ryan and Brady Smith, while Mize was shipped to the Padres in a separate move that brought back pitchers Kash Mayfield and Jackson Wolf, giving Detroit another chance to restock a thin pipeline with arms that might matter down the road.
Mayfield is the name that stands out most in the return. The left-hander was a first-round pick and has the kind of pedigree that keeps evaluators interested, especially for a club looking for rotation help beyond the immediate future. The Tigers may not be counting on him anytime soon, but the idea of a pitcher with his upside reaching the major league roster by late 2027 or 2028 gives the trade at least a little more long-term intrigue than it first appeared. [Read more 🡒]