2 Tigers who should be traded, 2 who should be let go before 40-man roster deadline

The 60-day IL disappears on Monday at 5 PM, which means roster crunches are on their way. The Tigers have eight players on the IL but only four open roster spots after adding Tsung-Che Cheng in a small trade with the Red Sox last week.

Scott Harris will have to decide whether or not to clear space for all of Kerry Carpenter, Will Vest, Parker Meadows, Trey Sweeney, Bailey Horn, Reese Olson, Matt Vierling, and Wenceel Pérez, or to let a few of them go.

There are some clear keepers here in Carpenter, Vest, and Olson, and the Tigers have varying levels of attachment to all of Meadows, Sweeney, Vierling, and Pérez, but it seems highly unlikely that all of them stick around.

2 Tigers who should be traded before 40-man roster deadline

Jace Jung

Jung and Sweeney were late-season call-ups in 2024, but neither made much of an impression during their small windows of opportunity. The Tigers have only turned to Jung sparingly since then — 27 major league games in 2025 and 2026 — while Sweeney played in 118 last season. He didn't play particularly well, batting .196 with a .549 OPS, but the drastic difference in usage between him and Jung suggests that the Tigers believe Sweeney has the higher ceiling.

The Tigers clearly don't have a plan for Jung. Some combination of Kevin McGonigle, Colt Keith, and Javy Báez will rotate in and out of third base, and Max Anderson might even leapfrog Jung to share second with Hao-Yu Lee. Jung has long looked expendable on Detroit's roster, and he may be finally reaching the end of his road with the team.

Wenceel Pérez

Before he suffered a freak accident that fractured his orbital bone, Pérez was a frustrating player for Tigers fans. He failed to make the Opening Day roster but was called up by April 10, after Meadows went onto the IL. Pérez went on to hit .167 with a .532 OPS through May, but halfway through a hot June, he got hurt.

Assuming the Tigers keep Meadows and Carpenter, Detroit's outfield looks mighty crowded. Detroit might like to keep Pérez in their back pocket, and they certainly suffered for a lack of depth in May, but with all of Meadows, Carpenter, Max Clark, Riley Greene, Ben Malgeri, Brett Callahan, Zach McKinstry, and even Báez in a pinch, Pérez looks a lot more expendable.

2 Tigers who should be let go before 40-man roster deadline

Matt Vierling

Vierling's tumble from grace has been tough to watch after he made himself a fan favorite in 2024, but he hasn't been able to stay healthy since that season. The Tigers love him for his versatility, but it might be time for them to let him go. They might not want to trouble themselves with finding a trade partner for what would almost certainly just amount to cash or a player to be named later in return, so a clean non-tender could be in order.

Bailey Horn

Of their eight injured players, the Tigers will probably be least sentimental about Horn. He's been in and out of the organization since November 2024, but didn't pitch in 2026 after undergoing arthroscopic surgery ahead of the season. He was pulled off of a rehab assignment in late April and underwent Tommy John in July, which will presumably make him unavailable through most, if not all, of the 2027 season.

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