MLB Insider Not Impressed with Detroit Tigers Offseason Moves Thus Far
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The Detroit Tigers have been one of the many organizations that haven't done much since the offseason to improve upon their roster for 2026. But, can they afford to do that?
Well, after being sent home for back-to-back season in the ALDS it doesn't really seem like they can as their are gaps to fill to make sure that doesn't happen again. At this point in the flurry of free agency there have only been three players secured for next season: Gleyber Torres, Kyle Finnegan and Kenley Jansen.
Torres and Finnegan were both a part of the Tigers 2025 season in some capacity so really the only new face to the ballclub is Jansen who was a top reliever for the Angels last season.
While both Finnegan and Jansen are key to the Tigers bullpen next year these moves are not enough to land Detroit on The Athletic's (subscription required) Jim Bowden's most-improved list which is concerning for an organization that wants to make a deep run into the playoffs.
Don't get it twisted. Locking down both Finnegan and Jansen was absolutely necessary for the Tigers. Finnegan posted a 1.50 ERA after joining the team at the trade deadline in 2025 and Jansen finished the year with a 2.59. The pair will be a crucial part to the Tigers taking back the AL Central, but they need more.
The Tigers have to go get a bat that can step up in crunch time as the Tigers as they only had two players hit above .235 in the postseason and four batted under .200. Plus, adding some depth to the starting rotation would definitely help.
Current Free Agent the Tigers Are Linked To
Cody Bellinger: There have been multiple mentions of the Tigers upgrading their outfield with a bigger offensive threat and Bellinger would be a perfect match. In 2025 he nearly had 100 runs batted in (98) to complement 29 homers as he batted .272 for the Yankees.
Justin Verlander: Verlander will be 43-years-old when opening day rolls around but his age shouldn't be of too much concern based on his performance in recent years, which included 2025 where he posted a 3.85 ERA with 137 strikeouts for the Giants.
Austin Hays: Hays isn't quite the threat at the plate that Bellinger is but he would be a nice clean up man in the hitting line up as he finished 2025 with a slash line of .266/.315/.453 with 64 RBI and 15 long balls in 100 games.
Cody Bellinger earns a B+ for his 2025 season!#CodyBellinger #RepBX #ysplayergrades25 pic.twitter.com/tHbQyp6GYy
— Yankee Source (@yankee_source) December 30, 2025
One thing is for certain, Detroit needs to acquire a player (or two) before spring training or they could face the same daunting fate in 2026.
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Maddy Dickens resides in Loveland, Colorado. She grew up with two older brothers, where their lives revolved around sports. She earned a master's degree in business management from Tarleton State University while simultaneously playing basketball and competing in rodeo at the collegiate level. She successfully parlayed a reserve national championship into a professional rodeo career and now stays involved in upper-level athletics by writing for On SI on several different MLB teams' pages, along with some NCAA sites.