With Tarik Skubal, Riley Greene and Kerry Carpenter, Detroit is a team on the rise in the AL Central
A magical run through August and September carried this young Tigers team to a surprise wild-card berth. They slayed the American League’s ultimate playoff dragon by sweeping the Astros in the wild-card round and battled the Guardians through five tight games before losing in the ALDS.
The Tigers’ game plan of Tarik Skubal “and pitching chaos” carried them through their first six postseason games and almost to the ALCS, but the Guardians’ bats finally got to Skubal and the Detroit bullpen in Game 5. Skubal surrendered a grand slam — the first of his career — as Detroit fell 7-3 in the series finale.
Things that went right
The 2024 Tigers will forever be remembered as the group that ended a long rebuild by earning the franchise’s first postseason appearance since 2014. And they accomplished the feat in dramatic fashion, going 17-6 from Sept. 1 to the day they clinched their playoff berth on Sept. 27.
The leader of this club was Tarik Skubal, who might be the best starting pitcher in baseball. After posting eye-popping results across 15 starts last year, he won the American League Triple Crown this season, leading the league in wins, strikeouts and ERA. And although Reese Olson missed most of the second half due to a shoulder injury, he showed this season that he could be Skubal’s sidekick in the coming years.
Things that went wrong
The struggles of Spencer Torkelson were a big reason that the Tigers’ offense didn’t take a major step forward. The slugger was expected to build on a 31-homer season in 2023 and instead was hitting .201 with four home runs when he was optioned to the minors on June 2. He returned to the bigs in the middle of August and fared better down the stretch, which provides some hope for next season.
The play of Javier Báez reached a new low in 2024. The 31-year-old was batting .184 with a .516 OPS across 80 games before he underwent season-ending hip surgery in late August. Báez has logged a lowly .610 OPS across the initial three seasons of a lucrative, six-year $140 million contract with Detroit.
On the pitching side, Kenta Maeda let the team down. The 36-year-old signed a two-year, $24 million contract in the offseason on the expectation that he would be a mid-rotation starter. Instead, he produced the worst results of any pitcher who held a significant role on the team. Manager AJ Hinch tried to help Maeda in the second half by having him follow an opener, but he still finished the season with a 6.09 ERA.
Offseason plans
The Tigers have plenty of young talent. Sorting out which of their prospects are ready to take the next step will be the challenge.
The outfield is in good shape. Greene will be the left fielder, and Carpenter and Matt Vierling can share right field. Carpenter will also make regular appearances at DH. Parker Meadows struggled after making the Opening Day roster but returned after a couple of months in the minors and played much better down the stretch. He should be the center fielder and leadoff hitter next year. Wenceel Pérez would fit well as a reserve outfielder.
The infield has more questions than answers. Torkelson should be the Opening Day first baseman, as the organization isn’t going to give up easily on someone who was drafted first overall in 2020. Colt Keith was inconsistent during his rookie season but had enough positives to start 2025 as the second baseman. The third-base job is wide open, as Jace Jung didn’t make much noise during a late-season audition. Vierling could also play the hot corner, if necessary.
| Player | AB | AVG | HR | SB | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 S. Torkelson
DET – 1B |
342 | .219 | 10 | 0 | .669 |
 C. Keith
DET – 2B |
516 | .260 | 13 | 7 | .689 |
 M. Vierling
DET – CF |
518 | .257 | 16 | 6 | .735 |
General manager Jeff Greenberg will need to determine the future of Báez during the offseason. Eating the final three years of Báez’s contract would be difficult, but at his current level, he can’t continue to play regularly for the Tigers. Prospect Trey Sweeney played shortstop down the stretch but didn’t fare well offensively. Jake Rogers and Dillon Dingler will likely form the catching duo, and Andy Ibáñez will fill a valuable utility role.
The 2025 rotation will be led by Skubal and Olson. In a perfect world, they are soon joined by Jackson Jobe, who is widely considered to be baseball’s best pitching prospect. Casey Mize is unlikely to reach the stardom that was expected when he was selected first overall in 2018, but he will still hold a rotation spot. Keider Montero, Brant Hurter and Ty Madden will compete for the final rotation spots.
The relief corps lacks a dominant hurler but has plenty of effective arms, including Jason Foley, Tyler Holton and Will Vest. Shelby Miller should also be back, as the organization would be wise to pick up his club option.
Overall, the front office needs to find the right balance of adding veterans who will help the team in 2025 without blocking the talented youngsters who will soon need promotions to the majors. Adding a starter and a reliever are the most obvious moves this winter. If the Tigers are willing to release Báez, they could also make a major impact on the offense by adding a shortstop who can hit in the heart of the lineup.
Prospects on the horizon
Detroit’s farm system has steadily ascended in recent years and is now regarded as one of the best in baseball. Many of the organization’s best prospects are expected to arrive in 2026, but there are some key players ready to help the big-league squad next year.
Jobe was a hot topic throughout 2024, with Tigers fans clamoring for him to make his debut. The Tigers likely took the correct approach with the third overall pick in the 2021 draft by having him spend most of his season in Double-A. But after a brief stint in Triple-A, Jobe was promoted to work out of the Tigers’ bullpen in the final week of the regular season, and he threw four scoreless innings in September before surrendering three runs in 1⅔ innings in the postseason. Jobe is likely to be part of the Tigers’ 2025 Opening Day rotation.
There are some elite position players in Detroit’s system who are a couple of years away. Max Clark, the third overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, is one of the best prospects in baseball at any position. He profiles as an excellent defender who has strong plate discipline and makes good things happen on the base paths. His power should improve with age. Kevin McGonigle and Bryce Rainer could eventually turn double plays in Detroit. McGonigle has thus far been an on-base machine who rarely strikes out and runs the bases aggressively. Rainer was the team’s first-round pick this year.
Goals for 2025
Detroit has made steady progress in recent seasons, highlighted by the team’s playoff berth this year. The peak of this potential dynasty is likely still a few years away, when players such as Clark, McGonigle and Rainer are all making an impact in Detroit. But Hinch has enough talent at his disposal right now to challenge the top teams in the AL Central.
Although Jobe could make a big impact in the rotation next year, the biggest key will be the improvement of the offense. The Tigers will need to score more runs in order to win the AL Central, and that means improvement from the likes of Meadows, Torkelson and Keith.
Fantasy focus
Skubal will be the first pitcher off the board in many 2025 fantasy drafts. After he’s selected as early as Round 1, we won’t see any other Tigers drafted until the middle rounds. At that point, Greene, Carpenter and Olson will be viable options. Jobe will be an exciting late-round sleeper who could surge up draft rankings during spring training.
