3 offseason decisions that could end up costing the Tigers in the 2025 playoffs

As the Detroit Tigers fight for their playoff lives after surrendering a division lead that once seemed insurmountable, it's fair to look back and question how we got here. Scott Harris's trade deadline performance has truly been a failure, but the root of Detroit's problems — problems so big that they could cost them in the postseason (should they make it) — are rooted in a few key offseason decisions.

Detroit wasn't one of the most active teams in free agency last winter, committing only to Jack Flaherty for more than one year. Even Flaherty's two-year pact comes with a (now highly unlikely to be exercised) opt-out after this season, further highlighting Detroit's fear of commitment.

A lot of the good on this roster has come from the core that was already here, with improvements from the youth driving a lot of the success. On the flip side, there have been areas where the expected improvement hasn't come, leaving the once-mighty-looking team vulnerable.

3 offseason decisions that could end up costing the Tigers in the 2025 playoffs

Not investing in a true closer to anchor the bullpen

Detroit opened the season by running a closer-by-committee scheme with the duties of finishing games being split by Will Vest and free-agent signing Tommy Kahnle. Neither veteran had experience pitching the ninth with any sort of regularity.

Vest has been mostly fine, but Kahnle's year has been one of serious ups and downs. Following a hot start to the year, the 36-year-old had some epic meltdowns in July. The struggles continued throughout August until he rediscovered his changeup in September, now pitching in lower-leverage situations.

The failings of the bullpen as a whole led to the acquisitions of Rafael Montero, Paul Sewald, Codi Heuer, and Kyle Finnegan. Finnegan has been great since coming over, as has Montero to much surprise; however, Sewald and Heuer have been complete non-factors.

Still, the lack of a reliable ninth-inning presence persists, as Finnegan is also likely better suited for setup duty than as a closer. A number of veteran closers were on the market and took one-year deals, such as Kenley Jansen of the Angels and Aroldis Chapman of the Red Sox. Either of those two would have much more reliably solidified the ninth inning, creating a trickle-down effect for the rest of the pen.

In October, these moments become more pressure-packed, and concerns in the bullpen can quickly cause a team's undoing.

Counting too much on the youngsters in the lineup to step up

The Tigers were ready to hand the shortstop reins over to Trey Sweeney, despite his poor showing in 2024. At the same time, they were ready to anoint Parker Meadows as the everyday center fielder before a spring training injury caused him to miss the first 60 games of the year, beginning an all too familiar cycle of injuries and rehab assignments.

That has led to a lot of Javy Baez at both of those positions, who, despite some early-season magic, has fallen off a cliff with a .501 OPS in the second half. Now Detroit has been stretched thin. Meadows is hitting better in the second half, but how long that will last and how long he can stay on the field are both open questions.

As for Sweeney, he's pretty clearly shown he can't be counted upon, which means the Tigers will be cycling through Baez and Zach McKinstry at short, which is less than ideal. The lineup has holes thanks to their belief in these youngsters, and those holes will surely be exploited in the playoffs.

Taking the wrong starting pitcher gambles

To be fair, Detroit has had some bad luck with injuries in the rotation. Top prospect Jackson Jobe went down with a torn UCL that required Tommy John surgery. Reese Olson's shoulder injury, suffered on July 24, will keep him out for the rest of the regular season, at least.

Those are some bad breaks. However, it's not like the Tigers weren't thinking about the rotation depth in the offseason. They gave 37-year-old Alex Cobb $15 million in the offseason despite chronic hip issues that limited him to just three starts in 2024, and have cost him the entire 2025 season.

Meanwhile, reuniting with Jack Flaherty made sense, given his success with the Tigers in the first half of last season and his performance with the Dodgers post-trade deadline. However, his playoff showing last year should've given at least some pause. With a 4.60 ERA this year, he hasn't given them what they had hoped for.

The playoff rotation looks to be Tarik Skubal ... and a bunch of hope and dreams. Starting pitching is already so important in October, and with a weak bullpen that importance is only magnified, meaning the way these offseason decisions have played out could be disastrous come next week.