Tigers Had An Epic Collapse But Some Postseason Success - How Do They Follow It Up?

Detroit Tigers Preview

Of all the teams that made the playoffs last season, Detroit has to be the most interesting team in the entire league. It isn’t just that they limped to the finish line last year. This was after looking like the best team in the American League for a reasonable portion of the season. The Tigers had one of the more interesting offseasons as well, so what do they have in store for the 2026 campaign? 

Last year recap:

The Tigers, as mentioned, were one of the best teams in the American League. They’ve now made the playoffs two years in a row, but even them getting to the playoffs last year was significantly in jeopardy after a complete disaster. They were running away with the American League Central division and then stumbled toward the end. Detroit was certainly built around pitching, and they still are, but this offense and pitching imploded near the end of the year. It also didn’t help that they got cold when the Guardians got hot. They were 22 games above .500 on September 10th, and finished just 12 games over 18 days later. They lost the Central, but they won the war by beating Cleveland in the Wild Card round. Ultimately, they pushed the Mariners to the brink as well, but lost 3-2 in Game 5. 

Offseason moves:

For a while the biggest story of the offseason was how far apart the team and Ace, Tarik Skubal, were on numbers for his arbitration hearing. There was very little real movement from Detroit until a few weeks ago. They signed the best free agent pitcher, Framber Valdez, to a multi-year deal. They also got Justin Verlander in a return likely as the last season of his career. That’s a top-of-the-rotation starer in Valdez, and a reliable arm in Verlander. The biggest problem is they didn’t add to their offense at all. Gleyber Torres is back, but saying he is back in this case means he was resigned. It appears there was a small market for him. 

Mr. Consistency is Framber Valdez. (Photo by Jay Biggerstaff/Getty Images)

Roster:

Skubal also was rumored in trades and likely will be all season, especially if the Tigers have a slow start. This is likely is last year in Detroit, so the question will be if the Tigers want to move him or if they think they can win with him this season. Their rotation, Skubal, Valdez, Verlander, Casey Mize, and Jack Flaherty, could be considered one of the top five rotations in baseball. Their bullpen is a little shaky, but there are some reliable arms in there. My problem is the offense, but they did improve from 2024 to 2025, and they are a relatively young team, so you would assume that most will continue to improve. Their infield is solid with Spencer Torkelson, Torres, Zach McKinstry, and Javy Baez. But, you’re relying on Torkelson and Baez to replicate last year after they had some struggles prior. They do have a top prospect, Kevin McGonigle, who may join the team at some point in the year. Will he be enough juice to add to the lineup? 

Betting outlook: 

I really don’t even want to look at their win total. I just don’t see the Tigers offense being one that I want my money to get behind. However, at 85.5 wins, it is hard to see them step backwards from last season. They are certainly depending on everyone to be at least as good as last season on offense, which is a risky endeavor. The Tigers are +120 to win the division, which is reasonable, but I won’t be betting on them one way or another. My advice would be to take the division instead because 86 wins could win the Central (88 won it last year) and that’s at least at plus money.