2025 MLB Season Recap: Detroit Tigers

The Pitching

The Good

When the Tigers broke their decade-long playoff drought in 2024, Detroit did it with timely hitting and a stout bullpen. The 2025 season, though, was very different.

Detroit scored over 70 runs more in 2025, compared to 2024. That was largely due to a much more balanced lineup, one that saw productivity from the likes of not just Riley Greene and Kerry Carpenter but also Spencer Torkelson, Javier Baez, and Wenceel Perez.

We knew heading into 2025 what Carpenter and Greene were capable of. Those two delivered in spades. Greene, despite that massive uppercut and high strikeout (30.7%) rate, hit 36 home runs in a career season. Carpenter hit 26 and did massive damage against righties. The 28-year-old slashed .257/.300/.512 (.812 OPS) with 23 home runs against right-handed pitching.

Torkelson and Baez both made adjustments and got themselves back on track. Torkelson hit 31 home runs, the second time in three seasons in which he hit 30+ home runs. However, it came in a year where he found himself on the fringe. The initial plan was for Colt Keith to be the regular first baseman with Gleyber Torres in town. However, Torkelson forced his way into the lineup.

Baez helped out both offensively and defensively to earn an All-Star nod. Perez, a sneaky switch-hitter, cracked 34 extra-base hits over 100 games.

It was a more balanced offering from the Tigers’ lineup this season, one that had nine players post double-digit home run seasons.

As for the pitching staff, it was led yet again by Tarik Skubal. Skubal struck out 241 over 195.1 IP, and led the AL in ERA (2.21) and the Majors in BB/9 (1.5). It might not have been a triple crown campaign for Skubal. However, it was yet another dominant one. That dominance continued in October, as he struck out a league-high 36 over the first two rounds of the playoffs.

Skubal headlined a rotation that included Jack Flaherty and Casey Mize, the latter of whom won 14 games, posted a career-best 22.2% K%, and kept hitters off balance with a hodge-podge of pitchers, including his splitter and slider.

Their bullpen, yet again, was impressive. Will Vest, Tyler Holton, Brant Hurter, and Brenan Hanifee all received plenty of work. And the bullpen became more of a finished product when the team acquired Nationals closer Kyle Finnegan via trade. Finnegan struck out 23 over 18 innings and notched four saves.

But while there was a lot of good in the regular season, things began to go awry in September thanks to a major late-season funk and the rise of the Guardians.

The Bad

Before getting into the lengthy pitching problems the Tigers had during the second half, let’s start with the offensive problems.

For as good as Javier Baez was in the first half, it’s hard to get out of bad habits. Baez, after he recorded 24 extra-base hits in the first half, slashed .223/.230/.318 (.548 OPS) in the second half. After the All-Star break, Baez posted a Chase% north of 50% and a Whiff% north of 30%.

Now, it wasn’t just Baez who was a problem for the Tigers in the second half. Specifically in September, the Tigers had problems scoring runs. Detroit scored only 97 runs over 24 games, a span that saw the Tigers go 7-17. Wenceel Perez and Riley Greene both sub-.200 in September, as the two struck out a lot.

Torres posted a .659 OPS in the second half. He was hurting, though, as he stated after the year that he played through injury and required sports hernia surgery.

As noted when the Tigers clinched, Detroit had to lean on unheralded players, like Jahmai Jones, to get the team across the finish line.

Detroit’s pitching, meanwhile, spiraled downward in the second half. Things took an auspicious turn in the summer when the Tigers lost both Reese Olson and Jackson Jobe. Olson suffered shoulder discomfort in July that cost him the rest of the year, while Jobe — a high-octane rookie with premium stuff — underwent UCL reconstruction.

The Tigers went heavy on pitching reinforcements at the deadline. Aside from numerous relief additions, the Tigers picked up ex-Twin Chris Paddack and ex-Oriole Charlie Morton in separate deals. Neither move worked out, as Paddack had problems with the long ball and was relegated to relief. Morton was DFA’d in September.

It did help that the Tigers’ bullpen came through, particularly down the stretch. It also helped that Troy Melton, a power right-hander who figures to be a starter long-term, helped eat innings, including in the ALDS when he tossed four scoreless innings.

Early Projected Lineup for 2026

• C: Dillon Dingler
• 1B: Spencer Torkelson
• 2B: Colt Keith
• 3B: Zach McKinstry
• SS: Javier Baez/Trey Sweeney
• OF: Riley Greene (LF), Parker Meadows (CF), Wenceel Perez (RF)
• DH: Kerry Carpenter
• SP: Tarik Skubal, Jack Flaherty, Casey Mize, Reese Olson, Troy Melton
• RP: Will Vest, Tyler Holton, Brant Hurter, Brenan Hanifee, Chase Lee, Ty Madden, Keider Montero, [FA Addition(s)]

Much of the national attention will be on Tarik Skubal, who entered his final year of arbitration this winter. The likely two-time Cy Young Award winner — depending on how awards season shakes out — would likely break Max Fried‘s record for the largest contract given to a left-hander if he entered the free agent pool today. Instead, he’ll have to wait a year until the end of 2026.

With all the potential reinforcements nearing their MLB debut — Max Clark, Kevin McGonigle, Josue Briceno, etc. — the Tigers are in a position where the team can pay Skubal and have young controllable hitting talent to make a potential payroll squeeze work. The question, though, will be whether the two sides can work out a long-term deal.

Aside from that, the Tigers will likely need to address their bullpen. Detroit saw Kyle Finnegan, Tommy Kahnle, and Rafael Montero all walk to free agency. Finnegan and Montero were very good in Detroit, although the latter struggled with walks.