DETROIT – Tarik Skubal’s situation, a year away from free agency, figures to dominate the discussion around the Tigers’ offseason, no matter what president of baseball operations Scott Harris decides to do: trade him, try to re-sign him or let his situation play out over one more season of team control and see what happens next year. However, it’s not the only thing on Harris’ to-do list as the Tigers try to build off back-to-back Division Series berths and take the next steps. “I hope that I've demonstrated here that we're focused on winning baseball games and trying to win a World Series, not winters or deadlines,” Harris said earlier this month. “Sometimes that means that we're going to go into a winter and we're going to chase the flashiest name, and we're going to offer a lot of money. And sometimes that means we're going to go into a winter and focus on more targeted needs. I don't know exactly what this winter is going to be.” As the Hot Stove begins to light, here’s a quick roundup of names to know, issues to address and key dates to the Tigers’ offseason: Which players are free agents? RHP Alex Cobb
RHP Kyle Finnegan
RHP Tommy Kahnle
RHP Rafael Montero
RHP Chris Paddack
2B Gleyber Torres |
Which players have contract options? RHP Jack Flaherty, who signed a two-year contract to return in February and made $25 million this season, can opt out of his $20 million salary for next season and go back on the free-agent market. He has until five days after the end of the World Series to decide. Could any of them receive a qualifying offer? Torres could make sense here. He joined Detroit as a free agent last winter with the idea of taking a one-year contract, putting together a bounceback season in Detroit and re-establishing his market to look for a longer-team deal this offseason. If Torres rejects a qualifying offer and finds a long-term deal somewhere else, the Tigers would get a draft pick as compensation – late first round if he signs for at least $50 million, or after the second round if he signs for less. If Torres were to accept a qualifying offer, the Tigers would have him for another year at $22,025,000, the mean salary of the game’s 125 highest-paid players. It would be a good raise from his $15 million salary this year, but it would give the Tigers long-term flexibility while they wait for infield prospects Kevin McGonigle and Max Anderson to arrive in Detroit at some point next year. Flaherty is an interesting scenario. If he opts out of the $20 million salary in his contract for next year, the Tigers would basically be offering him a slight raise. Flaherty, who went 8-15 with a 4.64 ERA in the regular season, would then have 10 days to accept or reject the qualifying offer. |
MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
Who is eligible for arbitration? RHP Beau Brieske
OF/DH Kerry Carpenter
RHP Jason Foley
OF Riley Greene
LHP Tyler Holton
UTIL Andy Ibanez
RHP Alex Lange
UTIL Zach McKinstry
RHP Casey Mize
RHP Tanner Rainey
C Jake Rogers
LHP Tarik Skubal
1B Spencer Torkelson
RHP Will Vest
OF/3B Matt Vierling Any non-tender candidates? Rainey was a late-season call up to the bullpen who pitched in just two games for the Tigers after signing a Minor League contract in July. Brieske pitched just 22 innings this season before suffering a forearm strain at Triple-A Toledo that ultimately ended his season in July. Foley missed most of the season recovering from right shoulder surgery after signing for $3.15 million as a first-time arbitration eligible last winter. Rogers, who made $2.64 million this year as a first-time eligible, could be in a tricky spot now that he is backing up Dillon Dingler behind the plate and struggled at the plate this season. The Tigers re-signed veteran depth catcher Tomas Nido to a Minor League deal with a non-roster Spring Training invite. However, Rogers’ pitch-calling and pitch-framing skills, combined with his familiarity with Tigers pitchers and the coaching staff, provide a strong reason to keep him in the catching mix for another year. Ibáñez, who made $1.4 million this year as a Super 2 first-time arbitration eligible, had an up-and-down season that included nearly two months in Toledo and barely any postseason work while Jahmai Jones supplanted him as Detroit’s primary pinch-hitting weapon against lefties. The Tigers could use prospects Hao-Yu Lee or Max Anderson in the spot, but would certainly want them to compete for the role. This year’s non-tender deadline falls on Nov. 21. |
Who needs to be added to the 40-man roster? Just four prospects on MLB Pipeline’s Tigers Top 30 list would be eligible for the Rule 5 Draft if not added: Lee (No. 6), LHP Jake Miller (No. 19), 3B Izaac Pacheco (No. 21) and RHP RJ Petit (No. 30). Lee is sure to be added, while Miller would’ve been a no-brainer if not for an injury-plagued 2025 season that halted his fast-paced climb up the organizational ladder. Petit is an intriguing, big-bodied reliever who posted outstanding numbers between Double-A Erie and Toledo but could be caught in a roster crunch. Other notable eligible prospects include relievers Yosber Sanchez and Tanner Kohlhepp along with switch-hitting superutility player Trei Cruz, who could be a popular Rule 5 target after posting an .867 OPS between Erie and Toledo. Players signed at age 18 or younger must be added to their club’s 40-man roster within five seasons or else become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft. Players signed at 19 or older must be protected within four seasons. Eligible prospects must be added to the 40-man roster by Nov. 18. Where do the Tigers need help for next season? The offensive struggles down the stretch are an issue to address, particularly in putting the ball in play more consistently. The Tigers’ positional versatility gives them several ways to do it. They could pursue help at second base, third base or shortstop and move current players around in kind. Ideally, they would add a right-handed hitter to balance out a lineup that leans left-handed, but they don’t have to be choosy. They’ll also need starting pitching depth, particularly if Flaherty opts for free agency. After two years shouldering a heavy workload, Detroit’s bullpen could be in for at least a partial makeover. That doesn’t necessarily mean acquiring an established closer and going to a more traditional setup. But it does mean finding a high-strikeout reliever or two to bolster a group that struggled to get swing-and-misses. Will the Tigers be active in free agency? Expect Harris and general manager Jeff Greenberg to be busy on the open market trying to fill needs. They could revisit Alex Bregman’s market if/when he opts out of the deal he signed with the Red Sox at the start of Spring Training last winter, but don’t expect the Tigers to let another Bregman saga hijack their offseason like last year, particularly when there are other intriguing options on the market like shortstop Bo Bichette and third baseman Eugenio Suárez. Detroit could also pursue higher-end starting pitching to stack their rotation in the short term and prepare for a potential post-Skubal rotation long term. |
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What would the Tigers surrender if they sign a free agent who receives and rejects a qualifying offer? As revenue sharing recipients, the Tigers would give up their third-highest pick in next year’s Draft as a penalty for signing a qualified free agent. As things currently stand, that would be their second-round pick. Would the Tigers actually trade Skubal? Harris isn’t commenting on trade speculation for now, but he’ll get another round of questions about it at MLB’s upcoming General Managers Meetings in Las Vegas, where other teams are sure to inquire about Skubal’s availability as well. At this early stage, it makes sense for Harris to perform due diligence and listen to what teams might be willing to give up, then weigh that against making another run with Skubal. Colleague Mark Feinsand took a closer look last week at what teams could offer for Skubal and what fellow executives think could happen. Anyone else the Tigers could trade? So far, Harris has held onto an abundance of infield prospects, including Lee, Anderson, Cruz, Jace Jung and top prospect Kevin McGonigle. There’s no way Detroit would part with McGonigle, but there’s a surplus from which Harris could deal for the right help elsewhere while still preserving the Tigers’ long-term chances at contention. |
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