5 Things We Learned About the Tigers in 2026

Admittedly, I have been one of the bigger Colt Keith believers since his days in the minors. I thought that there was no way his bat would not translate to major league success. When he started the year by crushing baseballs, I thought that this would truly be the breakout year. However, 10 home runs and a 104 wRC+ isn’t what I would qualify as a breakout.

Is Keith a bad player? No, but he’s becoming an odd fit on this roster. His defense is not nearly good enough to be put in a lineup and accept him as a league-average bat. Even if the rest of the lineup is performing and you want him to just plug a hole at the bottom of the roster, he’s a liability in the field, and his offensive profile does not match third base, first base, or DH — his primary positions.

I’m not sure if Keith will improve with power or defense, but he needs to do one or the other in order to be a regular. If Keith somehow magically starts hitting for the power we saw in the minors, then he could be an answer at DH or a corner spot. We’ve seen players improve defensively over an offseason, although this has never been a strong point for Keith.

With more and more young players entering the fold and the obvious need to add a variety bat this offseason, spots for Colt Keith are getting more difficult to find. What’s the answer? I truly have no idea. Detroit is going to have to figure it out over the winter.

Scott Harris Must Continue To Change His Ways

You’ll find a portion of the fan base who are irate with Scott Harris. I’m not one of them. In fact, I still believe in Scott Harris and think that he can put together a good baseball team. But he’s going to have to continue to adapt and change his ways.

People thought that he would hold rookies back in order to gain an extra year of control. He continued to prove that would not be the case with Jackson Jobe and Kevin McGonigle. They said that he would never sign a big free agent. Framber Valdez proved that wrong.

I do think that Scott Harris is not as stubborn and copy-and-paste as some may think. However, he’ll have to learn from his mistakes and adjust. Signing old pitchers who are well past their prime to short deals is not going to cut it. Alex Cobb, Kenta Maeda, Justin Verlander, Kenley Jansen, and others have been a blueprint Harris needs to retire.

Not adding to the offense at all was a decision I did not agree with. Sure, bringing back Torres might count, and the list of free agents wasn’t stellar, but trades are possible. The reliance on so many role players to be regulars is something that cannot repeat in 2027. It’s time to add an impactful bat.

As the 40-man roster continues to get more and more Harris-drafted players on it, there needs to be some change via trade. The data point we have not seen has been making a trade that brings talent in and not sending it out. I think it’s time that we learn how Harris handles that situation.

Kevin McGonigle and Max Clark Will Be Offensive Drivers

You always find a portion of a fan base that wants to argue against prospects and their ability. I get it. Plenty of prospects never turn out to be as we all hoped. However, I do think that Kevin McGonigle and Max Clark are going to be the type of players who can change the lineup’s trajectory.

Kevin McGonigle outperformed almost everybody’s expectations in his rookie year. A .278/.376/.430 slash line with 18 home runs, 12 stolen bases, and a 129 wRC+ led to a 5.4 fWAR season and what will, without a doubt, be a Rookie of the Year Award. At the plate, McGonigle is everything you want out of a hitter. Controls the zone, doesn’t swing at bad pitches, makes a ton of contact, and showed power while still having more to grow into. I think the Tigers have a superstar on their hands.

Max Clark did not quite play to the level of McGonigle, few did, but he did show enough to reasonably expect him to be a table-setter for the Tigers’ lineup. He’s going to make a ton of contact (90% zone contact rate), provide plus defense in center, and add more speed to the lineup. I think he got better and better as the year went on, and I expect him to only improve in 2027.

Detroit goes into next season with Riley Greene, Dillon Dingler, Kevin McGonigle, and Max Clark written in Sharpie. Hao-Yu Lee, Eduardo Valencia, and Ben Malgeri are three more rookies who showed enough to be considered. You’ll likely still have Javier Baez and Zach McKinstry as role players, with Colt Keith and Kerry Carpenter as starting options. There’s enough here to be encouraged, but now imagine the lineup with a legitimate impact bat added.

The Post-Skubal/Mize Rotation Isn’t Doom and Gloom

Before I go any further, I’m not going to make it sound like Skubal is easily replaceable. He’s not. The best pitcher in baseball over the past couple of years doesn’t leave your team and everything’s fine. I don’t think it’s all a disaster, either.

While Casey Mize had his moments, I do think he is replaceable. Keider Montero and Troy Melton both proved that they are not only major league starters but have the upside to be top-three starters in a rotation. They made significant strides this year, giving the Tigers another pair of arms they can trust into the future. Add Jackson Jobe back from injury and flashing what made him a top prospect, and suddenly you feel pretty good about the direction of the rotation. Don’t forget, Reese Olson and River Ryan are also going to be in the mix.

I know that this whole list will not pan out to be what we think they can. And you know what? That’s okay. You could make a legitimate case for each of these pitchers being a top-three answer in 2027 without hyperbole. When it comes to pitching, what you need is plenty of options with a high ceiling, and the Tigers have just that.

Should the Tigers add a veteran arm into the mix? I could be talked into it as long as it’s not somebody who’s 38 years old and is coming off an injury. You could also convince me that Drew Anderson can service that veteran arm. The point I’m trying to make is that the Tigers don’t have to go out and spend a lot of money on a starting pitcher. There’s enough of a mix of upside, youth, and track record to think you could find answers from this group.