3 offseason decisions the 2026 Tigers are paying for during August slide

The Tigers are barely clinging onto a 9-8 record in August, but they've slipped back down to five games under .500 and 1.5 out of an American League Wild Card spot despite staking their claim on it for a few days. They just lost a series to the Pirates, and are facing down two home series against the Rays and Dodgers when they return from their six-game road trip.

There are five weeks left for them to right the ship. Things could change in the blink of an eye, given how weak the AL is this year, but Detroit's flaws are resurfacing heavily during this latest 2-6 stretch.

Basically every single Tigers free agent signing has been a bust

Let's review. Framber Valdez is a coin flip every time he's on the mound. Kyle Finnegan's 3.27 ERA feels too generous when held up against the actual experience of watching him pitch (his 1.548 WHIP is perhaps a better indicator of his lack of success. Justin Verlander pitched one outing, got hurt, and seems unlikely to get back on the mound this season. Kenley Jansen has a 4.19 ERA and just blew a save to drop a series. Drew Anderson has been fine in a hybrid role, but he's not a real major league starter.

We'll throw Jack Flaherty under the bus, too; he had a 4.59 ERA before going onto the IL a month ago.

With a lot of these guys, it's hard to give Scott Harris too much grief. Valdez was the best pitcher available on the market, Finnegan was solid for Detroit last year, and Verlander looked pretty close to his old self in the second half last year.

But there's a difference between intent and execution. For years now, Harris has failed to sign or trade for effective pitchers, which is largely the reason why the Tigers are slipping back down the stands this month.

Trading Dylan Smith to the Giants was a mistake

Smith has become a ringer out of the Giants' bullpen especially after they sold heavily at the trade deadline. With closer Caleb Kilian gone to the Phillies, the Giants — 15.5 games out of a Wild Card spot in the far more competitive National League — are just limping through the rest of the season, but Smith has been a highlight for them.

His latest outing was a two-inning save when he yielded just one hit and struck out five to nab the Giants a narrow 1-0 victory. And Harris gave him away for pennies (literally) to make room for Kevin McGonigle on the roster ahead of Opening Day.

Smith wasn't even a bust with the Tigers. When he did get opportunities last year, he was incredibly reliable, posting a 1.38 ERA in 13 innings in Detroit and ending the season as a top-30 prospect. With Jansen being so untrustworthy in the closer role right now, they certainly could've used Smith. At the very least, they shouldn't have given him away for so little.

Not adding an outfield bat is coming back to bite Detroit

The Tigers' offense has given fans the least to complain about of any area of Detroit's roster, but wishing the front office added a single, solitary bat is going to be a perennial complaint among fans. Though Gleyber Torres has been solid as ever, we refuse to count him when all the Tigers had to do was extend the qualifying offer.

The lineup looks incredibly solid with McGonigle, Dillon Dingler, and Max Clark establishing themselves as everyday players alongside Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson, Torres, and Javy Báez. Eduardo Valencia has miraculously stayed hot, and Brett Callahan added an immediate spark.

But there are still players at the fringes of this offense who could've been upgraded from. Though he's hurt now, who ever would've thought that the Tigers would regularly be calling upon James Outman for outfield help?

It didn't even need to be a particularly expensive free agent. A reliable grinder who could work counts still would've offered some reassurance.

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