Third Base Could Result in Detroit Tigers Not Living up to Their Expectations

Will lack of production at third base come back and hurt the Detroit Tigers?

Feb 22, 2025; Lakeland, Florida, USA; Detroit Tigers second base Zach McKinstry (39) fields a ball during the third inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

With the regular season underway for the Detroit Tigers, they still have one major question in their batting order. 

It ended up being a strong offseason for the Tigers. Despite a bit of a slow start, the team made a few notable additions in free agency. 

Considering the success the team had in 2024, it was great to see the front office support them by spending money by adding Jack Flaherty, Alex Cobb, Tommy Kahnle and Gleyber Torres.

With three additions to their pitching staff, both the starting rotation and bullpen got much better this winter. 

While Torres is a good player, he was the only significant offensive addition for a team that lacks punch in their batting order. 

The Tigers were very aggressive and appeared to be the favorite for Alex Bregman throughout the offseason, but they ultimately came up short.

Third base was a need for them, and it is a major question mark for the team right now. 

Jason Beck of MLB.com recently spoke about the biggest unknown for the Tigers being their situation at third base. 

“Detroit opens with a platoon of Zach McKinstry and Andy Ibáñez at the hot corner, but that’s unlikely to carry for a full season. Jung or prospect Hao-Yu Lee could get a call, or Matt Vierling could take over once he returns from the injured list.”

The current situation at third base for Detroit is far from ideal.

As mentioned, the combination of Zach McKinstry and Andy Ibanez likely won’t be the long-term solution this year at the position. Since the team is dealing with multiple injuries already, manager A.J. Hinch might have to end up getting creative.

Perhaps with the success of Spencer Torkelson to start the year, that could move a player like Colt Keith back to second base, allowing Torres to slide to either shortstop or third base. 

Furthermore, with Jaiver Baez still on the team, Detroit would love to see if he could become productive, perhaps at the hot corner. 

With expectations being high for the Tigers after their willingness to spend this winter, it’s surprising they didn’t do more to help at third base, especially after sending Jace Jung down to the minors. While the team might have thought that they were getting Bregman, a better backup plan should have been in place. 

Detroit is expected to get back to the playoffs.

If they don't, their third base situation could be a major reason why.