MLB’s latest CBA pitch is built around a shorter season, more off days, and a bigger postseason payday - and the league is already floating ideas that would reshape how October works.
On Thursday, MLB came back to the players’ union with a new round of proposals in the ongoing labor back-and-forth. The headline item is a cut from 162 games to 154, with one scheduled off day each week for every team. MLB’s concept would use that extra day to put one matchup between two top teams in a national broadcast window.
The league also put forward two more eye-catching ideas: giving top postseason seeds the right to choose their opponent, and expanding the divisional round into best-of-seven series. The direction is pretty clear. MLB wants more high-value playoff games to sell, and trimming the regular season would also reduce player payroll.
The league even sent teams a memo on lockout procedures that got leaked quickly. It was all routine stuff, though the whole thing landed with a fairly petty edge for legal reasons.
Back in Tigers land, Kevin McGonigle keeps stacking honors. Baseball America named him its overall Rookie of the Year for 2026, and its writeup emphasized his all-around game rather than any single loud tool.
That same outlet also pointed to a record number of players age 21 or younger who produced at least 1 WAR this season by Baseball Reference, with McGonigle leading the way among them at 7.1. The list also included AJ Ewing at 3.1, Bryce Eldridge and Konnor Griffin at 2.1, Cooper Pratt at 1.7, Samuel Basallo at 1.6, Max Clark and Luis Lara at 1.2, and George Lombard Jr. at 1.1.
Baseball America also took its annual look at the best tools from each team’s new draft class, and several Tigers showed up there too. First-rounder Cameron Flukey drew the top praise for his fastball, which the outlet said is among the best in the draft class, along with his pair of breaking balls.
Second-rounder Tyson LeBlanc got notice for his bat after a breakout year, with Baseball America calling his the best hit tool in the Tigers’ draft class. Fourth-rounder Dominic Pellegrin earned strong marks for speed and defense.
On the secondary-pitch side, Florida Gulf Coast right-hander Evan Dempsey was singled out for multiple high-quality breaking balls and advanced spin capacity, while Louisiana Tech right-hander Declan Dahl drew attention for a screwball-like changeup he throws over the plate.
The Tigers also made a pair of staff moves this week. Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reported that head athletic trainer Ryan Eubanks and assistant athletic trainer Chris MacDonald were fired.
The team dealt with an extraordinary number of soft-tissue, non-contact injuries this season, and that likely factored into the decision. Detroit has already moved on from long-time assistant pitching coach Juan Nieves and first base coach Anthony Sanders, and more changes still seem likely.
The Tigers also still do not have a director of pitching in the minor leagues, nearly a year after Gabe Ribas left for the Colorado Rockies coaching staff.
There was also a look at Colt Keith from Rogelio Castillo at Tigers Roundtable, who examined a player that remains a modestly above-average run producer but still does not have a clear defensive home.
Elsewhere in Tigers coverage, Jason Beck of MLB.com wrote about Framber Valdez’s first season in Detroit, including AJ Hinch’s comments about the club trying to help him avoid the early-game ambushes that derailed a number of his starts this year.
In Other News...
Tigers Young Core Faces One Defining Question After 2026 Rollercoaster
After a 2026 season that never really found a steady rhythm, the Tigers are heading into an offseason shaped as much by lessons learned as by what went wrong. They stayed below .500 after early May and let several chances to firm up a playoff push slip away, even as injuries to key players like Gleyber Torres and Riley Greene forced the club to lean harder on its young prospects late in the year.
That reliance may end up being the lasting takeaway as Detroit looks ahead to 2027. The front office is expected to keep building around that younger group while also hunting for replacements for departing veterans, which leaves the organization at an obvious crossroads: how quickly those prospects can turn promise into production, and whether the Tigers can finally turn a talented core into a more consistent contender. [Read more 🡒]
Colt Keith Is Creating A Tigers Problem They Cant Ignore
Colt Keith arrived in Detroit with the kind of long-term commitment that usually comes with a clear plan, but the Tigers are still sorting out where he fits. Signed to a six-year contract in 2024, Keith has had his defensive chances trimmed by the clubs depth across the infield, even as his versatility and baserunning remain part of the appeal. The bigger issue has been at the plate, where the production has lagged enough to keep his role from feeling settled.
Through 140 games this season, Keith has hit .258 with a .728 OPS, and the lack of power has stood out, especially with his first home run not coming until June 11. Detroit still sees enough value in his glove and athleticism to keep him in the conversation, but the pressure is clearly on him to sharpen the defensive side of his game and justify the expectations that came with the deal. Where the Tigers ultimately land with him could shape how they use one of their more unusual roster pieces going forward. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Have A Familiar Bullpen Fix Worth Watching This Offseason
The Tigers bullpen issues in 2026 have left the front office with an offseason item that feels both urgent and familiar. Kenley Jansens club option is expected to go unexercised, and that opens the door for Detroit to look for a veteran arm who can steady the late innings without forcing the club into a full reset. One name that fits the conversation is John Schreiber, a Michigan native who once pitched for the Tigers and has since rebuilt his value with strong work elsewhere.
Schreibers appeal goes beyond the local angle. He has shown he can handle meaningful innings for other clubs since leaving Detroit, and his profile makes sense for a team trying to patch together a more reliable bullpen for 2027. The fit is obvious enough that it bears watching all winter, especially with Detroit needing experienced relief help and Schreiber positioned as one of the more natural reunion candidates on the market. [Read more 🡒]