ESPN’s latest team-by-team rundown of MLB’s biggest success stories and disappointments landed on a familiar name for the Tigers, and this one is no surprise: Kevin McGonigle.
Bradford Doolittle pointed to McGonigle as Detroit’s top success of the season, noting that the rookie has surged past the six-win mark and is on track for a probable AL Rookie of the Year award. Doolittle also highlighted just how tight the discipline battle has been for the 21-year-old: McGonigle has 88 walks and 89 strikeouts, putting him in range to finish with more walks than punchouts.
On the other side of the ledger, Doolittle labeled the trade of Tarik Skubal as the Tigers’ biggest disappointment. That’s a harsh tag for a move many saw coming, but his point was less about the decision itself and more about how Detroit got to that place.
The Tigers’ issues in one-run games stood out, especially in the extra-winnable spots that slipped away. Detroit finished a surreal 26 games under .500 in games decided by one or two runs, and that kind of collapse in close games helped shape the season’s outcome.
The piece also tied that broader frustration to the reality that pitching injuries and other problems weighed on the Tigers all year. Even so, the article’s bottom line was clear: if Detroit had been better in those tight games, the season might have looked different, and the club may have had a better chance to keep Skubal around.
Elsewhere in the day’s baseball notes, Justin Verlander was named the Tigers’ Roberto Clemente Award candidate for his work with veterans.
The news roundup also touched a wide range of league topics, including whether the Braves should sell now, whether Shohei Ohtani should stop pitching for good, and a look at pitching with Sean Doolittle. There was also a check on the likely Cy Young voting leaders, with the suggestion that this year’s winners could end up being unanimous selections.
Other items on the slate included Gavin Williams and the question of whether he’s a legitimate ace, how Noah Cameron’s worst pitch actually helped him improve, why height matters in baseball, the San Francisco Firebells’ postseason run in the WPBL, and the release of Arizona Fall League rosters.
Around the league, Garrett Crochet’s possible return raised questions about what it could mean for the Red Sox, the Dodgers clinched their 14th straight postseason berth to tie an MLB record, and the strange story of a banned minor leaguer who changed his name to get back to the majors made the rounds. There was also a note on Gerrit Cole and the ABS, Aaron Judge’s first home run since returning from the IL helping the Yankees clinch a postseason spot, and a look at milestones that could still be reached over the final weeks of the season.
Pete Alonso also drew attention after saying he was moved by the warm welcome he got in his return to Citi Field. Other items included a look at why so few Puerto Rican players are in the majors, one Braves investor’s belief that now is the right time to sell the team, a broader warning about how major sports franchises need to better protect players from angry bettors as sports betting grows, and Terry Francona’s relief that the Reds were not planning major front office changes. Jim Bowden also weighed in on labor negotiations from the perspective of a former MLB executive.
In Other News...
Colt Keith May Have Given The Tigers A Real 2027 Infield Answer
Colt Keith has become one of the more interesting lineup puzzles for the Tigers this season, not because his bat has vanished, but because Detroit keeps moving him around the diamond. He has split time at third base, first base and designated hitter, and the different looks have given the club a better sense of how his offense plays when hes handling the hot corner versus settling into one spot.
The split that matters most right now is the one that gives Detroit a possible answer for 2027. Keiths OPS has been better at third than in his other roles, even if the sample sizes are still small enough to keep the picture from getting fully settled. The Tigers are weighing that offense against the defensive side of the job, and the next step could say a lot about where Keith fits when they start planning beyond this season. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Late-Season Push Feels Real After Another Torkelson Statement
Spencer Torkelson kept the Tigers rolling with a three-run homer, and Drew Anderson gave Detroit exactly the kind of lift it has been chasing, turning in five shutout innings in a 10-1 win over the Blue Jays. Anderson picked up his first victory since July 23 after allowing just two hits and striking out four, while the Tigers stretched their winning streak to six games and kept building some real momentum at the right time.
For a club trying to make its late-season surge feel less like a fluke and more like a statement, nights like this matter. Toronto, meanwhile, has now dropped six of nine and slipped further in the American League wild card race, leaving Detroit with both the confidence of a hot streak and the sense that the path ahead is suddenly looking a lot more interesting. [Read more 🡒]
Kyle Finnegan Is Making Detroits Bullpen Reckoning Impossible To Ignore
Kyle Finnegans arrival was supposed to help stabilize a Tigers bullpen that has spent much of the season making life harder than it needs to be. Instead, his own rough 2026 has become part of the larger problem, with the strikeout rate dropping and the overall effectiveness trailing what he had shown in prior years. For a Detroit club that has already watched too many leads slip away, every shaky inning has only sharpened the focus on a unit that has been a liability far too often.
Finnegans season does not exist in a vacuum, either, because the Tigers relief issues have piled up enough that an offseason reset is beginning to feel less like an option and more like a necessity. When a bullpen keeps costing games and one of the names brought in to steady it is also struggling, the front office has a difficult evaluation ahead. Detroit can still hope for cleaner late innings down the stretch, but the larger reckoning may already be pointing toward a major overhaul. [Read more 🡒]