Ranking Tigers Worst Five Players by Top Sabermetric Analytic for 2025 Season
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The Detroit Tigers are now working toward the 2026 season and building on reaching the American League Division Series for the second straight year.
The goal now is for Detroit to reach its first World Series in more than a decade. Nothing less will do for a team with Tarik Skubal as its ace — assuming he’s still with the Tigers in 2026. But there will be changes to the roster, regardless.
As great as the Tigers were in 2025, there were several players that underperformed from an analytical perspective. But not every player should be considered an equal partner when considering those players according to their bWAR, or their wins above replacement, as collected at baseball-reference.com.
For instance, the worst bWAR for any Tigers pitcher was -0.9 for Sawyer Gipson-Long. But should he really be singled out as he only pitched in eight games? What about late-season acquisitions Charlie Morton (-0.8 bWAR) and Chris Paddack (-0.6 bWAR)?
To be considered, the players must have played in at least half of the teams’s games (as a position player) or made at least 20 appearances with the team (as a pitcher).
Here are the five Tigers players ranked lowest based on bWAR, the sabermetric designed to estimate a player’s total value to their team in terms of wins.
Andy Ibáñez: 0.5 bWAR
He had the second-worst bWAR of the position players considered. His do-everything toolkit is nice, but his numbers simply were not there in 2025. He slashed .239/.301/.352 with four home runs and 21 RBI in 91 games. It was his third season with the Tigers and his second straight in which he played fewer than 100 games.
He remains under the Tigers’ control through 2028, though he’ll head to arbitration for the first time this offseason. His bill is not expected to be significant enough for the Tigers to non-tender and release him. But his under-performance may compel Detroit to make a move for younger players.
Chase Lee: 0.2 bWAR
Lee made his MLB debut in 2025 so the fac that his bWAR was in the position is some good momentum for 2026. He appeared in 32 games in relief with 36 strikeouts, nine walks and seven home runs allowed. He went 4-1 with a 4.10 ERA.
Lee figures to be a piece of the bullpen puzzle next season.
Brenan Hanifee: 0.0 bWAR
A neutral bWAR isn’t the worst thing in the world for Hanifee, who pitched more in the Majors in 2025 than in either of his first two seasons combined. He threw in 54 games with a 3-3 record and a 3.00 ERA. He struck out 40 and walked 14 in 60 innings. The Tigers would like to see him get the strikeout volume up.
The Tigers have him under team control for a long time. He isn’t arbitration-eligible until 2028 and can’t be a free agent until 2031. Like Lee, he’s a piece of the bullpen puzzle in 2026.
Tommy Kahnle: -0.1 bWAR
Of the pitchers considered, he had the worst bWAR for the season. He also became a polarizing player late in the season. He went 1-5 with a 4.43 ERA in 66 games, with 50 strikeouts and 31 walks in 63 innings. His strikeout-to-walk ratio of 1.61 was his worst since 2015 with Colorado (1.25).
The 36-year-old was on a one-year deal so it’s possible he won’t be in a Tigers uniform in 2026.
Trey Sweeney: -0.8 bWAR
Sweeney had the worst bWAR of any everyday position player on the team. He played in 118 games and slashed .196/.258/.291 with six home runs and 32 RBI. One of the prospects in the 2024 Jack Flaherty trade, he was considered one of the organization’s rising stars after he got a taste of the Majors last year. But his numbers this season made him a black hole in the lineup.
He is still a pre-arbitration player. But his underperformance is a reason why Tigers brass is hinting that fans could see top prospect and infielder Kevin McGonigle in 2026.
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Matthew Postins is an award-winning sports journalist who covers Major League Baseball for OnSI. He also covers the Big 12 Conference for Heartland College Sports.
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