5 Scott Harris offseason decisions that are dooming the 2026 Tigers

In general, an MLB president of baseball operations knows more about his or her team than the average fan. The same can be said of Detroit Tigers front office head Scott Harris, who routinely (but not smugly, mind you) makes decisions that irk the fanbase. Harris, just like any PoBO in a mid-market city, is limited in what he can spend by ownership. Chris Ilitch allotted more money than usual to his roster this winter, but it can be argued Harris spent some of those funds on the wrong players.

And then, of course, there's Tarik Skubal. The Tigers are in the same spot with Skubal now as they were in December. Their ace's future is up in the air both literally and figuratively. Skubal's in a contract year and underwent a procedure to remove loose bodies in his elbow. No matter how quickly he returns, Harris' decision-making will be defined by how he handles the uncertainty surrounding Skubal, and navigates negotiations with superagent Scott Boras.

Harris's key offseason signings, all listed below, gave Tigers fans hope heading into a season with postseason aspirations. Unfortunately for the fanbase and Harris, they haven't all worked out.

Scott Harris offseason mistakes that are dooming the Tigers

Tarik Skubal's arbitration case

The Tigers went to arbitration war with Scott Boras and lost in embarrassing fashion. Detroit came in low for what Skubal deserved, assuming that a record one-year price tag for a player in his position would be good enough. Clearly, they misjudged Boras, who wanted to make an example of the Tigers and reset the precedent for MLB's arbitration system.

I cannot blame the Tigers for this scenario entirely. Even Skubal's fiercest defenders couldn't have predicted he'd make over $30 million in arbitration. But Harris's failure to negotiate a one-year deal in private to avoid this whole charade was embarrassing, and could hurt future negotiations with Skubal and other young players in the process.

Signing Framber Valdez as Tigers next ace

I didn't hate the Tigers decision to sign Valdez at the time, and Harris could still be in the right there. Unfortunately, many of the personality flaws that forced Valdez to reportedly send evidence he is, indeed, a nice person have followed him to Motown. Valdez was suspended six games by MLB for intentionally hitting Red Sox infielder Trevor Story. Valdez was apparently upset with Story for helping Red Sox hitters read his pitches while standing at second base, as is common practice around MLB.

The fact that it's only mid-May and we're already discussing Valdez as a distraction is an indictment of Harris and his team's research into what actually went down in Houston. Of all places, one would assume the Tigers would have valuable intel on the Astros given AJ Hinch's ties to the organization. But Valdez remains the same pitcher who crossed up his own catcher, and until that changes the Tigers can't trust his leadership.

Falling for the Justin Verlander nostalgia

Justin Verlander felt like the right dose of nostalgia and fit at the time of his signing. It's Harris's job to block out that noise, though, and make the right baseball decision. JV is on the wrong side of 40 by a significant margin. He's injury-prone at this stage of his career, as the Tigers found out the hard way early this season. Heck, Tigers fans are still waiting to watch his first start at Comerica Park pitching for their team in decades. Verlander was just transferred to the 60-day injured list, so they'll have to keep on waiting.

Kenley Jansen isn't the Tigers bullpen answer

Kenley Jansen is one of the most reliable closers of all-time. Earlier this season, he tied Lee Smith for third on the all-time saves list. Taking nothing away from Jansen's career, it's also fair to wonder why a Tigers team that has thrived on bullpen flexibility went all-in on a pitcher whose primary role and intention is the ninth inning. Jansen has a 4.82 ERA and doesn't look like the same closer he once was in Los Angeles, Atlanta and elsewhere. He's also 38 years old, and father time catches up with everyone. Harris ought to have seen that coming.

Giving into the noise with Riley Greene

Riley Greene strikes out too much. Tigers fans were rightly upset with the supposed best hitter in their lineup for his failure to show up — heck, even make consistent contact — when it mattered most down the stretch of the 2025 season. That being said, it was also a good bet Greene would rebound in 2026, and he has. While some Tigers fans might disagree, last winter would've been an ideal time to extend Greene, as he was coming off a postseason lull and thus could've taken less money to stay in Detroit long-term. Instead, Greene is slotted to be a free agent after 2028 and has an OPS close to .900 so far this season. An extension will not come cheap.

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