Uncustomed Heroes of 2025: Tigers

I'm not sure what people will remember more about the Tigers' 2025 season: that they blew a commanding lead over the division, that they still managed to beat the actual AL Central winner in a playoff series, or that they still ended up losing anyway. 

The Tigers immediately cemented themselves as a league power in the first half after an underdog come-up in 2024. Then so many of the pieces that had brought them forward, including Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson, Jack Flaherty, Casey Mize and Javier Baez, stuttered down the stretch. The deadline retoolings, which were intended to be minor fixes, ended up looking that much worse as the team fell apart. And even if the Tigers stood a chance against the Mariners, the script had flipped. Any leverage they had in the first half was gone, and all the momentum was held by a now much-stronger Mariners team. Thus, even with Tarik Skubal, their road ended at the ALDS.

I still think the Tigers will compete going forward, and a lot of the pieces are still hanging around. You keep hearing they're gonna try to trade Skubal, but you're also hearing they're trying to sign Bregman. They're still trying to move forward, and with Max Clark still on the way there's still a ceiling for this team.

The Bregman rumors seem to make sense, considering that one of the main choices at 3rd has been Colt Keith, and...he's fine. He's a 2nd/3rd guy, and he also played the majority of games this year at DH, which should tell you a lot about his appeal as a defender. The good news is he was better at the plate, hitting .256 with 13 homers and 45 RBIs. His OPS was .746, way better than last year, and he's at the very least beginning to find staying power in the league. But the Tigers thought Keith was gonna be a strong option at 3rd and he's been incomplete so far. 

2026 Prediction: I think the Tigers are going to get an upgrade at third, McKinstry's gonna get more reps elsewhere, and Keith might need to be a backup/DH type. I think that'll work for everyone.

Another 2024 rookie that sought to play a larger role in the 2025 team [only to somehow have less of a presence than last year anyway] was Keider Montero. He was a depth starter this year who was phased out in favor of...Charlie Morton and Chris Paddack. Mostly because he wasn't all the way great yet. Montero had 20 appearances, 12 of them starts, and had a 4.37 ERA, 72 Ks and a 5-3 record. He also went scoreless in 5.1 postseason innings. 

2026 Prediction: Starts more down the stretch, an insane sub-2.50 ERA run happens, has a crucial postseason start.

Like last year, Parker Meadows was limited to only an addition during the stretch run. While he was the 'magic hat' that fueled the Tigers' postseason push in 2024, Meadows could only add so much this year in 58 games, hitting .215 with 16 RBIs and 4 homers.

2026 Prediction: Well it would be really great if he had a full season of work, cause I think he'd be able to put together a winning campaign. I think it will happen next year, to the tune of a .300 average.

The Tigers' bullpen was full of really strong options this year, and somehow without many of the usual suspects [Jason Foley, Alex Lange] contributing. For most of the season, the Tigers used a platoon of two different guys as the main closer, and the most successful one was Will Vest. I had Vest on my fantasy team for a while, and he was a really nice pickup, locking in with any role the Tigers gave him. In 61 games he had a 3.01 ERA, 75 Ks and 23 saves. He was also scoreless in 8 postseason innings, with 9 Ks and a save.

2026 Prediction: Leads the bullpen in appearances, takes most of the big relief assignments and takes the odd save when pressed.

The Tigers also had Tommy Kahnle, fresh off a strong year in New York. Kahnle's output took a step down this year, with a 4.43 ERA and a 1.302 WHIP in 63 innings. He still managed 9 saves, and had a nice run in May/June before things sort of fell off.

2026 Prediction: Rox invite him to camp, he trails off where his career started.

Much like when Mike Elias did it, the Tigers puzzled people by trading for Charlie Morton at the deadline. Yes, he locked in halfway through May and started playing like himself, but he was still 45 and had the potential to fall off. While his first couple Tigers starts were pretty good, the old Morton returned, and he was cut in September after posting a 7.09 ERA with 31 earned runs in 9 games. He retired as a Brave, fittingly. He could have maybe legged it out in Baltimore rather than spoiling a division title for the Tigers, but they thought this might help. 

One deadline deal that did help was bringing hometown boy Kyle Finnegan over after a great run in Washington. Finnegan got hurt midway through August, so he didn't get to do as much as fans wanted, but he was still an impressive closing option, with a 1.50 ERA in 16 games, plus 4 saves. In 6 postseason appearances he had a 3.86 ERA, a little shakier with tougher opponents. It didn't deter the Tigers though, as he's on for another two years in Detroit.

2026 Prediction: Well, seeing as Kenley Jansen will be in town next year, I don't think he's gonna be a 30 save guy, but I do think he'll be a killer, 2 ERA setup man. 

Coming Tomorrow- A few of the people who were still left in Minneapolis when the year ended.

Works Every Time

 

Colt Keith is the epitome of hot and cold. In his first four months as a major leaguer, he's embarked upon a listless April, a .343 May, a weak June and then a huge, .322, 7 homer/17 RBI July. Either he's the most exciting rookie of the year or he's a waste of a roster space, with no in-between. 

And Keith, even in his strong periods, is a perfect summation of a team like the Tigers. The Tigers are consistent and inconsistent at the same time. They're owners of the most consistent pitcher in the AL, Tarik Skubal, who has a very good chance at winning a Cy Young this season. They have a very consistent bullpen, made up of people like Tyler Holton, Jason Foley, Will Vest and Shelby Miller. They have three players who've been extraordinary for them this year, Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter and Reese Olson...who are all currently injured. There are giant holes in this team, like half the rotation, a third of the lineup and throughout the depth. They can get you when you least expect it and simultaneously their season's pretty much over. And yet this is somehow an improvement.

The Tigers weren't great before, but taking away Jack Flaherty, Andrew Chafin, Carson Kelly and Mark Canha makes it so much more obvious what needs to be done with this team. I thought the rotation was working and then Mize and Olson got hurt and Maeda fell apart. Matt Manning is likely the answer but the Tigers would rather give Beau Briske and Joey Wentz a shot at starting again before they do anything drastic. The youth movement is taking over this lineup, but not well enough. Spencer Torkelson still hasn't put it together in the majors. Justyn Henry-Malloy, Wenceel Perez and Parker Meadows have had moments of triumph but not much more. And too much money has been given to Javy Baez when it's clear his heart isn't really in it anymore. At any point, Baez could just start caring and touch upon the exploits that made him a star in Chicago, but he doesn't really want to, and the team is suffering. 

And yes, having a rookie like Colt Keith commanding attention and getting a great offensive season together is great, but like usual with the Tigers you have to ask if he'll even be around by the time these guys can compete. Can this team actually build a roster of people who'll all be good at once? Even if they draft people first overall, that seems to be a tall order. Torkelson and Mize have both underwhelmed, despite so much deserving praise during the draft process. And now you're seeing Baltimore use multiple #1 overall picks to find glory, because there's a team that can build around a farm system and not a bloated contract for a diva. 

It's so wild, because on one hand this Tigers season has been better than the last few. But it's also left them in a worse place than before, and with more to rebuild from. Which means they're lucky they play in a division with the Chicago White Sox.

Coming Tomorrow- He came at the tail end of a massive development upswing, stayed past the rebuild and is now pushing for the offside chance of a playoff run.