Tigers' Scott Harris Is Pointing the Finger of Blame for Frustrating 2026 Season
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After suffering a heartbreaking loss to the Seattle Mariners in Game 5 of the American League Division Series last October, it was a long offseason for the Detroit Tigers. However, expectations were high at the start of the 2026 season as the Tigers were looking to take it at least one step further this fall.
The MLB season is long, with 162 games, and despite what some people might think, all 162 matter. Detroit found that out in May when they went 6-22, which buried them in last place in the American League Central Division. The Tigers' season came to an end on Sunday with a 4-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Instead of getting ready for the postseason on Monday, president of baseball operations Scott Harris met with the media to put a bow on the 2026 season.
When he did, he took responsibility for some reasons as to why Detroit's season is over and pointed the finger at one mistake he made that caught up with manager AJ Hinch.
Tigers Scott Harris Points to One Mistake in 2026
Over the course of a 162-game season, depth is needed, and according to Harris, he didn't get Hinch and the rest of his staff enough of it to survive injuries and even trades at the deadline. However, May turned out to be a month when Detroit needed all the depth it could have, but it wasn't enough.
"I didn't build enough depth into this roster this year. Our vulnerabilities in this roster got exposed in May, and it cost us, and that's part of the reason why I have a huge pit in my stomach thinking about this season,'' said Harris, per Jason Beck of MLB.com.
What makes May all that more painful for Harris, Hinch and the Tigers is that if they just went .500 at 14-14, they would have been tied with the Chicago White Sox for the final AL wild-card spot. In fact, even though they had plenty of time to rebound over the final four months of the season, what is going to make it an even longer offseason in the Motor City is that the division was still very winnable.
Nobody took control of the division until the summer and the White Sox led it for a good chunk of the summer until, for the second straight year, the Cleveland Guardians finished strong to capture the division and a wild-card-round bye. They did that with just 85 wins.
The offseason will be a long one for Harris and the Tigers. There are some good young players in the organization that they should be excited about, but with Tarik Skubal traded and unlikely to re-sign in free agency, rebuilding the pitching staff around Framber Valdez should be Harris' top priority. When spring training begins, the Tigers could be looking at a different roster, looking to return to the postseason in 2027.
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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.