Wednesday, October 14

Welcome to this edition of the Tigers Beat newsletter.

While the Guardians and White Sox battle in the ALDS to figure out which of them will advance to the ALCS, the Tigers and president of baseball operations Scott Harris are plotting how to return to the playoffs in 2027. 

Here are five questions Detroit faces this offseason:

Will Drew Anderson and Kenley Jansen be back?

The Tigers have a $10 million option on Anderson and a $12 million option on Jansen (or a $2 million buyout), both of which must be decided shortly after the World Series ends. 

Anderson’s option looked like a long shot when he was working out of Detroit’s bullpen over the first half of the season, but his 2.84 ERA and 7.1 H/9 over nine starts down the stretch provided some much-needed stability to the rotation after Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize were traded. Considering the Tigers got little out of one-year contracts from Alex Cobb and Justin Verlander, they could do worse than bringing Anderson back.

“Having a versatile arm like [Anderson’s] is really valuable,” Harris said last week. “I'm not going to forecast what we're going to do with the option moving forward.”

Jansen, 39, could be a trickier decision. His general numbers looked fine, but walks (4.60 BB/9) and home runs (1.40 HR/9) -- including four walk-offs -- were an issue.

Will Kevin McGonigle play one full-time position?

McGonigle led AL position players in bWAR while bouncing between shortstop (78 starts) and third base (72 starts), a major feat for a player who didn’t play the hot corner until the Arizona Fall League in the ‘25 offseason. Many evaluators see him fitting more at third than short over the long term, but the Tigers are leaving it open.

“We are going to make that decision based on what the roster actually looks like,” Harris said. “But [McGonigle’s] ability to move positions is only going to make us better because it's only going to improve the ability for A.J. [Hinch] to not only build stronger lineups to match up against an opposing starter, but also to strengthen our defense.”

Will Tigers get a veteran bat this offseason?

The willingness to leave positions open for McGonigle and others suggests that the Tigers could look to add an infield bat. But the free-agent market for impact hitters is shallow, leading with outfielders Seiya Suzuki and Randy Arozarena. Second basemen Luis Arraez, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Brandon Lowe could be intriguing options, but all are likely to get a lot of attention in a thin market.

“If you exclude May, we were second in all of baseball in team wRC+,” Harris said. “We need to translate that better into run scoring, and to make sure that our runs per game match what the underlying performance actually shows. We don't get there by just signing free agent bats every single offseason. We get there by developing our players and giving them opportunities to demonstrate that they are better players than we can acquire in free agency.

"At positions where we think we can't credibly say that we have a player coming that we think is going to develop into a better player than we can reasonably acquire in free agency, then we're going to go out in free agency.”

Will Riley Greene get a contract extension?

After setting a career high in home runs (36) but a franchise record in strikeouts (201) last year, Greene took up the challenge of cutting down on the latter and became a better all-around hitter for it. He set career highs with a 135 OPS+ and 136 wRC+, along with a career-low 26.5 percent strikeout rate. In many ways, he’s the heart and soul of the Tigers, and a leader by example. Greene is two years away from potential free agency, which is often when teams make decisions on contract extensions.

“Riley’s an incredible player. He’s a huge part of our team,” Harris said. “The presence that he has in the middle of our lineup is one of the engines that make our offense go. I know it’s really annoying, but I’m going to stay with the policy of not talking about extensions publicly until they’re done.”

What is Spencer Torkelson’s role?

Torkelson, 27, shifted to a part-time role down the stretch while the Tigers took an extended look at younger players. But Torkelson quietly produced an impressive finish, batting .296 in September with six homers and 14 RBIs in just 71 at-bats to salvage a respectable offensive season (26 home runs, 77 RBIs, 113 OPS+). Like Greene, he’s two years away from free agency, and the Tigers are anticipating catching/first base prospect Josue Briceño’s arrival sometime next season. But it would be hard to replace Torkelson’s power, not to mention his presence. A better question might be whether he goes back to playing every day or cedes time to Colt Keith.

“[Torkelson]’s an incredibly talented player. He’s a very popular presence in our clubhouse,” Harris said. “We really value him and the contributions he makes on and off the field. And we think he’s a part of getting back to the playoffs.”

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