The Tigers’ 2026 season ended with a thud, and the roster reset that follows is already taking shape. Detroit is headed back to the drawing board after a year that was supposed to end with an AL Central crown and another trip to October, only to finish below .500 instead. There were bright spots - basically all of June, Kevin McGonigle’s debut, Max Clark’s debut, Justin Verlander’s last game - but the full 162-game picture was a rough one.
That means the payroll is coming down, the bullpen needs work, and several familiar names are on the way out. Some departures feel obvious, but a handful are locked in for different reasons. These six Tigers are not coming back for Detroit’s bounce-back push in 2027.
Gleyber Torres is one of the clearest cases. His decision to take the Tigers’ qualifying offer last offseason gave Detroit a boost, and the club got value from his steady presence during his All-Star 2025 season, even if he faded late while dealing with a sports hernia.
This year, though, he spent more time on the injured list, and the team’s direction kept shifting toward younger infielders. In the final weeks of 2026, Torres and Javy Báez saw more bench time as Hao-Yu Lee and John Peck got opportunities, with Max Anderson also pushing toward the majors.
Torres should have a market in free agency, but not in Detroit.
Justin Verlander’s exit is less about roster construction and more about the natural end of the road. His final start at Comerica was an emotional one for everyone involved, from the fans in the park to the players in the dugout and, probably, even Don Kelly on the visitor’s side.
The weekend had a fitting feel to it, with Verlander hinting that he’ll go into the Hall of Fame as a Tiger in five years’ time and then turning in a 5 1/3-inning outing that looked a lot like the old version of him. A return isn’t the point here.
He’s earned retirement, and then some.
Kenley Jansen is a different kind of goodbye, but it feels just as inevitable. He has a $10 million club option for 2027 and sits two saves shy of 500 for his career, which might tempt a team to keep him around for the milestone.
Detroit shouldn’t bite. That’s a steep price for a pitcher whose age and 2026 performance make him too risky, and the Tigers have already learned enough about free-agent relievers to know better.
Jansen, along with Kyle Finnegan, has been one of the clearest examples of that problem.
Jack Flaherty is also headed out after another frustrating run in Detroit. He made what should be his final Tigers appearance this weekend after a long stint on the injured list.
Since his half-season with the club in 2024, when he became one of the hottest arms available at the trade deadline, things have gone sideways. He led the AL with 15 losses in 2025, picked up his $20 million player option, and then in 2026 threw fewer than 100 innings with an ERA above 4.50.
Detroit’s rotation doesn’t need him anymore, with Troy Melton, Jackson Jobe, and River Ryan leading the next wave.
Burch Smith’s case is much simpler. He came in on a minor league deal, put together 10 strong innings at Triple-A, and was called up in late April when Enmanuel De Jesus was optioned.
For about a month, he gave the Tigers solid work out of the bullpen before right shoulder inflammation sent him to the injured list. A rehab assignment was cut short in late July, and he later underwent arthroscopy.
Even with the bullpen needing a full teardown, Smith is more of a fringe depth piece than someone worth a real contract.
Tyler Kinley rounded out the list after arriving as a late-August addition, with the Braves having DFA’d and then released him. By then, Detroit’s season was basically finished, but the Tigers still got a useful stretch out of him: a 1.84 ERA in 14 2/3 innings.
Even so, the warning sign is right there in front of them. Small samples can fool a team, especially with relievers, and Detroit has already seen enough of that.
If Kinley is still available near Opening Day and the Tigers need one more bullpen arm, he could be in the conversation for depth. But the first look should be elsewhere.
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