2 former Tigers dominating with their new teams in 2025, 2 who are struggling

Over the last couple of years, the Detroit Tigers have made a lot moves in order to grow from a rebuilding team, to an up-and-coming youth movement, and now to serious American League contenders. In that process, they've had to say goodbye to some pieces in their quest to build a core that can take them to the promised land.

In that process, some former Tigers have found success so far this season in their new digs, while others have struggled and haven't found their footing. In some cases, they've reached new heights, while in others, it has been more of the same.

Two ex-Tigers stand out as players who are dominating in their new habitats, and two others are really have a tough go.

These 2 former Tigers are excelling with their new MLB clubs

Catcher Carson Kelly - Chicago Cubs

Carson Kelly's role on the 2024 Tigers was one that is very common on teams who are in the process of transitioning from rebuilding to contending. The veteran was once a top prospect, headlining the Arizona Diamondbacks' return for Paul Goldschmidt back in 2018, but never realized his full potential.

Instead, he oscillated between roughly league-average seasons with the bat to years where his offensive production was well below-average. But he always maintained solid defense behind the plate. Pairing with Jake Rogers in Detroit, he served as a veteran mentor and steady hand as a catcher for his brief Tigers' tenure.

Last season with Detroit, Kelly managed a .716 OPS, which was enough to generate some interest on the trade market, further serving his purpose. At the deadline, he was traded to the Texas Rangers in exchange for Liam Hicks and Tyler Owens, and most importantly, cleared the way for Dillon Dingler's ascension to the bigs.

Kelly signed with the Chicago Cubs in the offseason and is having the year of his life. Through 28 games, the 30-year-old backstop is slashing .299/.436/.632 with eight homers and a 194 wRC+. For reference, his previous career-high wRC+ was 107 back in 2019.

It's unlikely that Kelly will keep up this level of production through the end of the season, but his hot start nearly guarantees that 2025 will go down as a career year. For the Tigers, the sudden outburst stings less as Dingler looks to be a fixture behind the plate for the foreseeable future.

Reliever Shelby Miller - Arizona Diamondbacks

Shelby Miller's career has been a long and winding journey. Once one of the most promising young starters in all of baseball, Miller's career was nearly derailed by injuries, starting with Tommy John surgery back in 2017. Repeated elbow issues and various other ailments would follow as Miller tried to reinvent himself as a reliever in the years that followed.

After a successful but injury shortened season in 2023 with the Los Angeles Dodgers that saw the righty pitch to a 1.71 ERA in 42 innings, Miller landed in Detroit where he promptly provided Tigers fans with regular cardiac events whenever he took the mound.

Detroit happily let him walk in the offseason, believing that the homer-prone 34-year-old's best days were clearly behind him. However, back in the Arizona desert for the second time in his career, the right-hander looks reborn.

His average fastball velocity is up to 95 miles per hour, his highest mark since before his Tommy John surgery, and a 1.4 miles per hour leap from what he did in Detroit. More importantly, he's recorded a sparkling 1.45 ERA over 18 games and 18 2/3 innings, working as one of Arizona's primary setup men.

Fortunately, the Tigers' bullpen has been solid with a 2.91 ERA so far this season, so even with Miller's dominance, the club isn't missing him much.

These 2 former Tigers are really struggling with their new teams

Third baseman Gio Urshela - Athletics

At one point in time, Gio Urshela looked like a breakout star. In his 2019 campaign with the New York Yankees, the then-27-year-old became a surprise phenom, batting .314 and swatting 21 juiced-ball aided dingers.

While he'd never reach those same heights again, he put together a few more productive seasons, including 2020 (.858 OPS), 2021 (.720 OPS), and 2022 (.767 OPS). Even in 2023 with the Los Angeles Angels, he was serviceable, batting .299 and posting a .703 OPS, though that was devoid of any substantive power production, slugging just .374, his lowest mark since 2018.

His stint with the Tigers in 2024 saw him decline even further, slashing .243/.286/.333 over 92 games in the Motor City before being released in August to clear paths for Jace Jung and Trey Sweeney to make their way to the bigs. A brief resurgence in Atlanta down the stretch, where he recorded a .711 OPS, was enough to earn him another opportunity.

In the offseason, he latched on with the Athletics, hoping that a friendly ballpark could help rejuvenate his career. Instead, it's been more of the same for Urshela, now 33, as his power outage has continued — he's yet to hit a home run and slashing just .226/.273/.344 in 30 games.

After failing to land Alex Bregman in the offseason, the hot corner has been a bit of a trouble spot for the Tigers, however, Urshela continues to prove that he wouldn't have been an answer there.

Reliever Andrew Chafin - Washington Nationals

Andrew Chafin has been a fan favorite everywhere he goes. The soon-to-be 35-year-old southpaw had completed two stints in Detroit and looked to be on the verge of a third in 2025 after inking a minor league deal to return over the offseason.

Unfortunately, Chafin didn't make the roster out of spring training and opted out of his deal after pitching well at Triple-A, landing a major league roster spot with the Washington Nationals.

So far, things actually look pretty rosy for Chafin in the Nation's Capital, with a 1.69 ERA in eight appearances and 5 1/3 innings of work. However, there's a lot more than meets the eye with his performance to date.

While he's still striking out batters at a high clip, he's walking them just as often, posting a 1:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio while also yielding more than a hit per inning. Together, these factors have led to a ghastly 2.25 WHIP in his albeit small sample of work.

Another concerning thing has been the decline of his fastball velocity. Last season, Chafin's fastball sat at an average of 91.9 miles per hour, one mile per hour less than his career average of 92.9. This year, he's seen that plummet even further, coming in at 90.5 miles per hour.

There's a chance Chafin could get his peripherals in line and continues to generate good results, however, the control issues combined with declining velocity make it even more likely that his underlying metrics tell the true story, and his results will fall in line shortly.

You never like to lose bullpen depth, especially a player as lovable as Chafin, but it seems clear that he wouldn't add much to the Tigers, especially over the long haul.