Tigers Begin Offseason Moves By Letting Two Assistant Coaches Go
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The 2026 Detroit Tigers went into this season with their eyes on the World Series. They had arguably the best starter in the game, Tarik Skubal, to complement a really strong offensive front. What could go wrong?
Well, clearly a lot stemmed from one of the worst bullpens in the game, as they blew too many leads to count. Ultimately, the Tigers ended up being sellers at the trade deadline, which sent homegrown favorite Skubal to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
By the time Detroit's season came to an end they were 10 games under .500 and finished fourth in the AL Central, which isn't necessarily the strongest division in baseball by any means. That said, it isn't shocking that the front office is departing with some members of the coaching staff.
Per The Athletic (subscription required) that they released assistant pitching coach Juan Nieves and first base coach Anthony Sanders in their first two offseason moves. The team had not formally announced the move.
Nieves had been with the organization since 2019 when he joined Triple-A Toledo as the pitching coach before eventually joining the major league affiliate in 2021. Nieves spent a lot of time with Detroit, but the pitching staff is definitely in need of some new leadership.
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Ultimately, it might not necessarily be fair to Nieves as the ERA's amongst the relievers isn't an eye sore by any means, but the blown saves are nearly impossible to comprehend, which is lowlighted by Kyle Finnegan failing to record a save in 10 of his 12 chances.
But Finnegan wasn't the only problem, as Drew Anderson blew six, Will Vest seven, and Kenley Jansen another six. It was truly a performance straight out of a horror film. That said, the Tigers' front office has to go get a high-leverage arm this offseason.
Then, they also have to take into consideration the fact that the starting rotation has been depleted, as both Skubal and Casey Mize are no longer a part of the organization, as both were dealt away at the deadline.
There are whispers that Skubal has the desire to possibly return to Detroit, but it will cost a pretty penny for him and they might not be able to address all of their needs if they spend it all in one place.
It might not be the first of the coaching staff that the Tigers decide to part with, but for now, this is where they stand moving forward.
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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.