Tigers Named Team That Needs Third Baseman Most During 2026 Offseason

The Detroit Tigers have quite a few needs this winter, but there is one glaring one that has been pointed out by media recently that they need to fix.

Detroit Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris, left, and manager A.J. Hinch meet with reporters Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, at Comerica Park in Detroit. | Evan Petzold / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The MLB offseason is going to be a time where the Detroit Tigers make some key improvements to allow them to compete with some of the best teams in the MLB. After looking promising in their last two postseason appearances, they will now likely want even more, and to do so, they will need to fill in some key gaps in their roster.

One of the most notable openings on the roster is at third base, as despite having Colt Keith on the roster, he has only played 254.1 innings at third base in the Major Leagues. Additionally, his production on offense is inconsistent, so a better option may be worth looking into.

Recently, MLB.com writer Brian Murphy put out an article that discussed the teams with the biggest need for each respective position. When it came to third base, Detroit was named the team that needed one the most this winter.

What Did Brian Murphy Have to Say About the Tigers' Need at Third Base?

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In the article mentioned above, Murphy had a lot to say regarding how desperately the Tigers need a third baseman and provided a few options he believes they could look to pursue this winter, stating the following:

"With Gleyber Torres back in Detroit after accepting the qualifying offer, the Tigers could view their infield as Opening Day-ready, with Torres at second and Colt Keith at third base. It's a position where Keith had limited experience as a pro entering 2025 and although his defense was below average (minus-2 outs above average), he did put up a .288 average and a .796 OPS through 37 games at the hot corner. So why do the Tigers need to make an upgrade there?"

"Because they can still find at-bats for him elsewhere (read: DH) and augment an infield spot that, even with Keith's solid numbers, contributed just 11 homers, a .628 OPS and 1.1 FanGraphs WAR this past season. Maybe it's Alex Bregman, who almost signed with Detroit last offseason. Maybe it's former Tiger Eugenio Suárez. But a headline-grabbing move at third would help optimize Detroit's lineup."

Both Bregman and Suárez would be extremely costly for a team that is currently in contract negotiations with Tarik Skubal, and not offering him his full value. With that said, finding a third baseman is paramount, and whether that be a top-of-the-line free agent or just a rotational piece to play alongside Keith, there needs to be a quality addition there to get some playing time and provide a spark.