One Tigers Offseason Move That Scott Harris Would Like to Do Over
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Going into the 2026 season, the Detroit Tigers were loading up for a deep run in the postseason. They signed former Houston Astros left-hander Framber Valdez in free agency to give them another top starter behind Tarik Skubal.
After coming up one game short in the American League Division Series against the Seattle Mariners in Game 5 that lasted 15 innings, the Tigers were hoping that some offseason moves would pay off. That hasn't been the case, and add in some injuries, it has been nothing short of a frustrating season for manager A.J. Hinch and his team.
Before the first pitch was thrown in the season, it appeared that the Tigers had a roster that had some flaws. Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report listed one offseason do-over every MLB team wishes they had. For Detroit, it was really a no-brainer.
Tigers Would Like a Do-Over With Gleyber Torres Decision
One move that the Tigers' front office made over the winter that certainly caught some by surprise was giving Gleyber Torres a qualifying offer for $22.025 million. He accepted and returned for another season. However, if Detroit knew that Kevin McGonigle was going to have the season he's having, then maybe they wouldn't have extended the offer to Torres.
It hasn't been a completely rough season to date for Torres, who is currently on the injured list. He's slashing .259/.389/.328 with 11 runs driven in, but he has drawn 25 walks and struck out just 22 times. Last season, he fanned 101 times, which was actually down a little from his time with the New York Yankees.
Torres' defense hasn't been bad, but, as Miller pointed out in his article, if Detroit knew that McGonigle was going to have the season he's having, then shelling out the qualifying offer to Torres is something they might not have done. That money could have been spent elsewhere to make other additions to the roster.
There is a long way to go in the 2026 season, but given the injuries they have to some key players, it's going to be hard for the Tigers to put things together to make a run for a postseason berth.
To complicate matters, Skubal is not signed beyond this season, and the longer he remains unsigned, the more rumors are going to pop up the closer the trade deadline gets. There are some decisions that all teams would like to have back, and Torres would be right up there for Detroit.
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Scott Roche has covered both college and professional sports for nearly three decades for various outlets. Scott has covered the MLB, NHL, and college sports and he is someone always looking for a good rumor, no matter which sport it is.