2024-25 MLB Offseason Recap: Detroit Tigers

After a strong September to sneak into the postseason, the Detroit Tigers officially cracked their competitive window open. The Tigers have a bonafide ace and young building blocks on offense, highlighted by Kerry Carpenter, Jace Jung, and Riley Greene. This past winter, the Tigers beefed up their roster with experienced veterans, including an old friend & 2024 World Series champion.

Notable Additions

• RP John Brebbia (-0.5 bWAR)
• SP Alex Cobb (0.2 bWAR)
• SP Jack Flaherty (3.1 bWAR, 2.4 bWAR with Tigers)
• RP Tommy Kahnle (0.8 bWAR)
• 2B Gleyber Torres (1.8 bWAR)

The Tigers grabbed several players featured in the 2024 World Series this winter, highlighted by the return of Jack Flaherty. Detroit traded Flaherty to the Dodgers six weeks before their quick ascent up the AL Wild Card standings, for Trey Sweeney and Thayron Liranzo.

As I noted in July, the trade had the potential to be a success for both sides. Flaherty was set to fill out a Dodgers rotation besieged by injuries, while Liranzo’s upside and Sweeney’s pop made the two desirable prospects. Needless to say, the deal work out.

Now, Flaherty returns where he had immense success in 2024, highlighted by increasing the usage of his hard slider and getting extra pop out of his four-seamer.

Additionally, the Tigers landed reliever Tommy Kahnle and Gleyber Torres, two former Yankees.

Kahnle is a unicorn, thanks to how much he leverages his changeup, a pitch with plus sinking action and is highly effective, even without him using the fastball a lot. Detroit added Kahnle to their already-deep bullpen on a one-year deal.

Torres, meanwhile, was the most notable add on offense. The ex-Yankee was a slugging second baseman who didn’t get hot until late in the year last season. The Tigers are set to use Torres at second base, moving Colt Keith over to first.

Getting back to the rotation, the Tigers also picked up Alex Cobb. Cobb missed most of 2024 thanks to offseason hip surgery and only threw 16.1 IP in 2024, all with Cleveland. His sinker/splitter combo is impressive — when healthy.

Cobb had left hip inflammation that will sideline him for the start of 2025.

Notable Losses

• RP Alex Faedo (0.6 bWAR)

Because the Tigers have a young core — many of whom are not yet eligible for free agency — the team didn’t suffer much in the way of significant losses. The only exception was Alex Faedo, traded to the Rays after Detroit signed Tommy Kahnle.

Faedo was a former first-round pick drafted as a starter and pitched well early on his MLB career. However, injuries derailed him and pushed the Tigers to move him to the bullpen.

He pitched well in a relief role. Nonetheless, the Tigers opted for a different look with Kahnle, a reliever with a more potent secondary offering.

What to Expect from 2025

I was a big believer in the Tigers last season; so much so, that I predicted (and was wrong) that Detroit would win the AL Central title last season. It didn’t happen but the Tigers did take the big step forward, nonetheless.

Heading into 2025, the Tigers will look for more — but can the team get more? Detroit suffered a tough blow in Spring Training, as Parker Meadows went down with a nerve issue. Meadows didn’t take a huge step forward in 2024. But, showed pop, speed, and hit well (.269 AVG, .807 OPS) in the 2024 MLB Postseason.

That injury depletes an offense that already had questions. Can Trey Sweeney click during a full 162-game season? What about Colt Keith, an infielder with a short swing and bat-to-ball skills who posted a .689 OPS? The bottom line is Detroit’s offense isn’t as powerful compared to their peers.

As for their pitching, it’ll all come down to health. Detroit has a deep(er) bullpen in 2025 and arguably the best starting pitcher in all of baseball. If Tarik Skubal and company, along with newcomer Jackson Jobe, stay healthy, the Tigers should be competitive in a winnable AL Central.