LAS VEGAS — President of baseball operations Scott Harris sat at a table beside manager A.J. Hinch after the Detroit Tigers were eliminated from the 2025 MLB playoffs, losing in Game 5 of the ALDS for the second year in a row.
For more than an hour, Harris and Hinch fielded questions during the Oct. 13 end-of-season press conference. Several topics were addressed, but Harris didn’t share any insight into the Tigers’ approach to free agency and trades in the 2025-26 offseason.
The only hint?
“We have several weeks to devise our strategy and start executing it,” Harris said.
Three weeks have passed since.Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!
Harris is expected to outline his plan at the general manager meetings, beginning Monday, Nov. 10, in Las Vegas. He is scheduled to speak with reporters Wednesday alongside the other American League executives, with the event concluding Thursday.
“I hope that I’ve demonstrated since I’ve been here that we’re focused on winning baseball games and trying to win a World Series, not winters or deadlines,” Harris said. “Sometimes, that means we’re going to go into a winter and chase the flashier name and offer a lot of money. Sometimes, that means we’re going to go into a winter and focus on more targeted needs. I don’t know exactly what this winter is going to be.”
Here are five questions for the Tigers in the 2025-26 offseason:
What happens with Tarik Skubal?
There’s virtually no chance the Tigers will extend left-hander Tarik Skubal – represented by agent Scott Boras – as the best pitcher in baseball approaches free agency after the 2026 season, leaving two options: trade him or keep him.THREE OPTIONS: What’s next for Tigers and Tarik Skubal? No easy answer
The outcome of the Skubal situation could ultimately define Harris’ tenure, especially if he fails on the trade front. Only three years ago, owner Christopher Ilitch fired general manager Al Avila, then publicly dragged him for the putrid returns from midseason Justin Verlander and J.D. Martinez trades from 2017.
It’s easy to envision the Tigers keeping Skubal because Harris doesn’t take risks.
Skubal, who turns 29 in before Thanksgiving, is on the verge of becoming a two-time AL Cy Young winner, but opposing teams view him as a one-year rental because he appears set on testing free agency. That means the Tigers likely won’t get the kind of risk-free return they want on the trade market. If the Tigers keep him, they’ll receive a valuable compensation draft pick after the first round when he signs elsewhere in free agency.
Is Alex Bregman the top priority again?
The Tigers made third baseman Alex Bregman their No. 1 priority last offseason, only to lose him to the Boston Red Sox – both because Bregman declined an offer from the Tigers and because the Tigers declined two offers from Bregman. After one season, Bregman opted out of his three-year, $120 million contract and returned to free agency in search of a long-term deal.REMEMBER WHEN: Alex Bregman on Tigers, free agency: ‘We thought we were going to be in Detroit the entire time’
The Tigers like Bregman, so he should once again be their No. 1 target this offseason. Don’t be surprised if Bregman – who shares an agent with Skubal – seeks a six-year, $160 million contract, which would bring his total free-agent haul to $200 million (over seven seasons), including the $40 million from the Red Sox in 2025.
Bregman, who turns 32 in late March, would help the Tigers improve their contact profile by raising a below-average whiff rate (25.9%), boosting an average walk rate (8.4%) and cutting a poor strikeout rate (23.9%). From 2023-25, he ranked seventh in whiff rate (13.9%), 64th in walk rate (10.1%) and 13th in strikeout rate (13.1%) among 229 hitters with at least 1,000 plate appearances.
Beyond his offensive impact, Bregman would add stability as the everyday third baseman with the versatility to slide over to second base. He would also immediately provide the clubhouse leadership the Tigers lacked during their 2025 collapse.
Do the Tigers need a true No. 2 starter?
The Tigers project to open 2026 with Skubal and right-handers Jack Flaherty, Reese Olson, Casey Mize and Troy Melton in the starting rotation. There are five problems with that: Skubal could be traded, Flaherty is inconsistent, Olson is injury prone, Mize is only average, and Melton lacks experience.
The solution is simple.
The Tigers need to sign an established No. 2 starter, whether that’s an ace-caliber arm like right-hander Dylan Cease on a potential five-year, $130 million contract, a second-tier option like right-hander Michael King on a potential four-year, $90 million deal or a bounce-back candidate like right-hander Zac Gallen on a potential two-year, $45 million pact.
In 2025, the Tigers went 21-10 in Skubal’s starts, compared to 66-65 in games started by everyone else. The rotation produced a 3.97 ERA with Skubal’s 2.21 ERA across 195⅓ innings baked in, but without him, the rotation had a 4.25 ERA. The Tigers haven’t won enough or pitched well enough when Skubal isn’t on the mound, which is why the rotation needs an established frontline starter, both for now and the future.
Is Kyle Finnegan the solution in the bullpen?
The Tigers need better relievers.
In 2025, the Tigers’ bullpen ranked 17th with a 4.05 ERA, 29th with a 20.1% strikeout rate and 27th with a 23.9% whiff rate. Only the Colorado Rockies had a worse strikeout rate. The problem wasn’t difficult to evaluate: Tigers relievers didn’t record enough swings and misses, which meant too much contact.
That won’t happen unless the Tigers secure one of the top three relievers in free agency: right-hander Edwin Díaz (on a potential four-year, $85 million deal), right-hander Devin Williams (at an estimated $40 million over three years) or right-hander Ryan Helsley (potentially at $20 million over two years). All three relievers posted whiff rates above 30% from 2023-25: Díaz at 39.9%, Williams at 39.6% and Helsley at 33.2%.
The Tigers would also benefit from re-signing right-hander Kyle Finnegan, whose whiff rate skyrocketed with the Tigers after flipping his pitch mix following a trade from the Washington Nationals at the 2025 trade deadline. A one-year, $10 million contract projects to be enough to bring the Detroit native back.
How soon will Kevin McGonigle arrive?
Infielder Kevin McGonigle is the No. 2 prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline. The 21-year-old – whom the Tigers selected No. 37 overall in the 2023 draft – hit .254 with 12 home runs, 33 walks and 26 strikeouts across 46 games in Double-A Erie, though he has yet to play in Triple-A Toledo. His primary position is shortstop, but he has experience at second and third base.
No one has ruled out McGonigle making the 2026 Opening Day roster, but he could benefit from spending a couple of weeks in Triple-A Toledo. As long as he is promoted within 15 days, the Tigers would be eligible to receive an extra draft pick through the Prospect Promotion Incentive if McGonigle wins AL Rookie of the Year in 2026.
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