Detroit Has Arrived — Now the Pressure Shifts to Finishing the Job

The Tigers didn’t sneak up on anyone in 2025. However, I did feel like they took a slight step back, finishing one game behind the Guardians in the AL Central and making the Postseason as a wild card team.

The Tigers are stable but finished in the middle of the pack in almost every single statistical category. Tarik Skubal won his second straight Cy Young award, but the production behind him in the rotation was hit-or-miss. Former No. 1 overall pick Casey Mize led the team in wins with 14, but the rest of the starters averaged around a 4.00 ERA behind Skubal’s 2.21. They have some good, young pitching, but need to be more consistent behind Skubal. Reese Olson posted the rotation’s 2nd-best ERA but only made 13 starts due to a shoulder injury.

Offensively, Detroit still showed limitations. They had the 5th-most strikeouts in MLB and only Dillon Dingler player more than 100 games AND hit about .260. Spencer Torkelson took a step forward in 2025, but the Tigers need those steps to be consistent.

The Tigers did not make the impactful, headline moves that I would’ve hoped to see from a team trying to contend. They are on the younger side of the league and have two of the Top 100 prospects, two of which – Kevin McGonigle (#2) and Max Clark (#10) – are expected to debut sometime in 2026. If the Tigers wish to truly keep up with the Dodgers, Yankees, and Blue Jays of the world, they need to make a splash.

Biggest Need Entering 2026:
Outside of the clear priority, which should be to re-sign Skubal before he hits the open market, the Tigers need middle-of-the-order power and rotation depth.

Have They Addressed It?
Not enough. They brought back Gleyber Torres, who relished the change of scenery from New York, but they need more if they want to be feared in the American League. Adding a slugger like Rhys Hoskins would certainly bolster a solid but not overpowering order. Don’t want to pay as much as the 32-year-old Hoskins might require? Try 35-year old Marcell Ozuna. For large portions of the 2024 and 2025 seasons, Ozuna was one of the few bright spots in the Atlanta Braves lineup. In that 2-year span, Ozuna tallied 60 homers and 172 RBIs. Additionally, left field appears to be a weak spot for Detroit, so putting Ozuna in the DH spot would free up Kerry Carpenter to go into left. Eugenio Suarez‘s big bat would also be a welcome sight in that Tigers lineup.

On the pitching side, Zac Gallen would make perfect sense as a 1-2 punch with Skubal. Plus, a long-awaited reunion with still-productive Justin Verlander would be nice too.

Our Take:
Detroit’s foundation is championship-caliber. The next step is adding that piece that could take them over the edge and bring Detroit its first championship since 1984. If the offense makes even a modest leap, this team becomes terrifying.

And, just to emphasize it one more time, Detroit: I think I speak for the rest of the rational baseball world when I say, PLEASE re-sign Tarik Skubal! We don’t want to see him end up with the Dodgers…