3 New Year's resolutions Tigers must address in 2026

Here we go again, Detroit. Another year, another winter of refreshing Twitter, parsing Scott Harris quotes like they’re ancient scripture, and wondering if the Tigers are actually ready to step forward …or if we’re just rearranging the deck chairs on the S.S. “We Still Have Payroll Flexibility.”

So let’s keep this simple. Three resolutions. Three steps toward acting like a team that actually wants to win something meaningful in 2026. Tape these to the clubhouse wall. Stitch them onto Chris Ilitch’s throw pillows. Carve them into the Comerica Park outfield wall. Whatever it takes.

Because if the Tigers truly want to become the team they keep telling us they are becoming, the New Year’s resolutions must start here.

3 New Year's resolutions Tigers must address in 2026

Extend Tarik Skubal (seriously, just do it)

This is not complicated. This is not theoretical. This isn’t even a “maybe someday” conversation anymore. Tarik Skubal is the guy.

He is the ace you hope for when you bottom out. He is the homegrown, drafted-and-developed star fans dream about. He’s the best pitcher the Tigers have had since Justin Verlander … and he’s now firmly inside the Cy Young tier of the sport.

And he’s a free agent after this season.

You can spin words like “ongoing dialogue” and “we love Tarik” until the lights go out. You can mention timelines and the mythical “right moment.” But Tigers fans have lived through this movie before — we know what happens when star players get within striking distance of free agency. We’ve seen “we’ll cross that bridge later.” We’ve heard “there’s still time.” Then later shows up, and the player is somewhere else.

Skubal should not be a negotiation; he should be a pillar. Pay him like one. Commit like one. Build around him like one. Because the minute you don’t, the message is louder than any press conference answer: “We still aren’t ready to fully commit.”

We’ve waited a decade to see a true ace in Detroit again. We finally have one. Lock him up.

Learn from 2025 (and do not repeat that offensive collapse)

Cold stretch? Fine. Slump month? OK. But watching the Tigers blow a 15.5-game lead in the American League Central, go 7-17 in September, and nearly miss the playoffs? That's unforgivable.

Good teams — real contenders — do not let entire seasons go by saying “well, guys underperformed” without doing something structural to prevent it from happening again.

This offense cannot be a coin flip between “competent” and “funeral march.” Detroit needs better depth, more professional hitters, actual thump and fewer black holes.

Score runs. Apply pressure. Stop pretending it’s OK to simply “hope guys bounce back.” Hope isn't a plan, and we've got the scars to prove it.

Act with urgency, not just "flexibility"

This is the big one.

Flexibility is nice. Optionality is smart. Long-term thinking matters. But there comes a moment where “flexibility” turns into an excuse –– and Tigers fans can feel that line creeping closer.

This team needs upgrades now. This window is not in 2029. Young arms don’t stay healthy forever, and core players don’t wait around.

The AL Central is winnable, and Tigers fans are beyond tired of hearing phrases like “opportunistic additions,” "we like our internal options," and "there's still time." At some point, you either go get difference-makers, or you admit you’re content being “dangerous…eventually.”

Urgency doesn’t mean recklessness; it means intention. See a hole? Fill it. See a path? Walk it. It's that simple.

Tigers fans aren’t asking for the moon here. We're simply asking for a franchise that keeps its star, supports its pitching with real offense, and treats the present like it matters.

Extend Skubal. Fix the lineup. Act like a team that expects to be playing baseball deep into October — not one that’s content talking about “progress.”