Tigers Lock In Minor League Arm After Strong 2025 Season

The Detroit Tigers have plenty of work to do this offseason to remain in contention, and one of their early moves was to keep a quality arm around.

Jul 30, 2021; Detroit, Michigan, USA; The hat and glove of Detroit Tigers right fielder Robbie Grossman (8) sits on the ledge of the dugout during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Comerica Park. | Raj Mehta-Imagn Images

The Detroit Tigers have a decent amount of work to cover when it comes to their 2025-2026 offseason to remain competitive next year, but also improve.

Following another postseason exit prior to the World Series, they are likely going to be in the market to add some additional pieces to their roster in an attempt to compete with the powerhouse squads around the MLB.

With that said, they also have to focus on finding quality depth pieces to have in the room, so that in the event of injury or a slow start, they have options to turn to throughout the year who can provide them with some value.

One of their better minor league arms in 2025 was Troy Watson, who produced at an exceptional level both in Double-A and Triple-A, and has proven to be valuable as a potential MLB-level player eventually.

A positive development that has come along is that Watson will be returning to the Tigers for the 2026 season on a minor league deal, with Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reporting that the deal will be worth $1.2 million if he makes it to the MLB, and will include an invitation to spring training as well.

#Tigers re-sign right-hander Troy Watson to minor league contract (worth $1.2 million if in MLB) with invitation to spring training https://t.co/Lzl8DY9Oic

— Evan Petzold (@EvanPetzold) October 29, 2025

What Does Watson Bring to the 2026 Tigers Team?

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Watson has been a bit hit or miss in the past when it comes to his Triple-A production, which has held him back from making an MLB debut as of yet. With that said, 2025 was different for him, as his stats in Triple-A rapidly improved as he found his stride over the course of the year.

In 10 starts, he put up a 5-1 record, 3.12 ERA, 1.212 WHIP, 42 strikeouts, 15 walks, seven home runs allowed, and 7.3 strikeouts per nine innings. While not perfect, mostly because of the long-ball, he really was able to mitigate contact against the majority of the batters he faced, and did a good job just working through scenarios with runners on base.

In Double-A, he looked slightly better, as would be expected, as in 26 games, four of which he started, he had a 2.39 ERA, 1.063 WHIP, 55 strikeouts, 22 walks, three home runs allowed and 9.4 strikeouts per nine innings.

It may be worth seeing him pitch as a reliever in Triple-A more often to showcase if he is more productive there or if it was just the jump in levels that slowed him down a little bit. Regardless, a great piece to keep around for the 2026 season at either position he plays.

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