Detroit Tigers May Not Be Done Adding to Infield Depth Ahead of Season

With at-bats potentially open at an infield spot, the Detroit Tigers might look outside the organization for an answer.

Feb 27, 2025; Lakeland, Florida, USA; Detroit Tigers third baseman Jace Jung (17) watches a fly ball during the second inning against the Boston Red Sox at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

The Detroit Tigers weren’t nearly as active this offseason in free agency as many predicted they would be.

After the unprecedented run they went on in the second half of the 2024 campaign, overcoming a double-digit deficit in the standings to earn a wild card spot, many thought they would spend to build upon that positive momentum.

The Tigers did make several additions, but a majority of them were on the pitching staff. Starting pitchers Alex Cobb and Jack Flaherty were both added along with bullpen arms Andrew Chafin and Tommy Kahnle.

In the lineup, the only addition that was made was second baseman Gleyber Torres. He will be taking over at the Keystone, pushing last season’s standout rookie Colt Keith over to first base.

A two-time All-Star earlier in his career, Torres offers some upside as a player that will be motivated to perform. After signing a one-year deal with Detroit, he will be looking to land a lucrative multi-year deal next winter.

It certainly wasn’t from a lack of effort on the Tigers' part that more additions weren’t made to the offense.

They were right in the Alex Bregman sweepstakes to the very end but he ended up agreeing to a three-year, $120 million deal with the Boston Red Sox.

Without him in the mix, there is now a bit of a question mark at third base with about two weeks remaining until the regular season gets underway.

Matt Vierling, an excellent utility man who handles some playing time at the hot corner, is expected to start the campaign on the injured list.

That leaves Jace Jung as the likely starter on Opening Day, sharing duties with Andy Ibanez, who crushes left-handed pitching.

A former top prospect, Jung has not gotten going yet during Grapefruit League play. In 22 plate appearances, he has produced a slash line of .158/.273/.263 with seven strikeouts.

It is certainly too early to write him off as he hasn’t even exceeded rookie eligibility yet. But, his debut last year was a struggle as well, recording a -0.5 WAR.

If he struggles in the early going of the 2025 campaign, Zach McKinstry could start to cut into his playing time. But, he hasn’t performed any better in the spring with a .176/.300/.176 slash line across 20 plate appearances.

If things don’t improve down the stretch of spring training, a change could be made on the roster.

“The Tigers could also sniff around outside the organization to clubs with deep infield ranks and blocked young players for potential trade options,” wrote Jason Beck of MLB.com.

That will be something to keep an eye on as scoring runs was a struggle for the Tigers last year and could be an issue again without development from their young core.