A logical blueprint for Tigers to clean house, revamp roster, and keep Tarik Skubal

The offseason is well underway, but the Tigers have yet to make any truly attention-grabbing moves. Instead, fans have had to scroll past awful trade proposals for Tarik Skubal and just wait for things to get going.

There's no doubt that the Tigers will contend again in 2026 and build on what they've done over the last two seasons, but the roster is far from perfect. There is a sound, constantly improving core, but also a lot of fat that can be trimmed and potential additions that can be made to turn Detroit into a real threat next year, and to try to persuade their potentially once-in-a-generation starter to stay exactly where he is.

A logical blueprint for Tigers to clean house, revamp roster, and keep Tarik Skubal

Starting Rotation

• In: Tarik Skubal, Reese Olson, Troy Melton
• On thin ice: Jack Flaherty, Casey Mize

Right now, a Skubal-Olson-Flaherty-Mize-Melton rotation is what we should expect to see by Opening Day, even if they're not in that exact order (Olson, Flaherty, and Mize could all be flipped any which way).

Flaherty's opt-in both complicated payroll and filled the rotation in a way that fans were mixed on. He ended the season on a high note with two gutsy innings in ALDS Game 5, but he's been too volatile to decisively call a No. 2 starter.

It was nice to see Mize get his moment in the sun as an All-Star this past season, but he also regressed quickly and still hasn't lived up to the first overall pick hype. With only a year of team control left, the Tigers will probably stick it out with him, but he could potentially be shopped in a low-stakes trade.

• Potential free agent/trade targets: Michael King, Tatsuya Imai, Emmet Sheehan, Joe Ryan, Mitch Keller

The Tigers have opened the door to introducing a sixth starter or replacing one of the current members of the rotation, if their interest in converting Ryan Helsley into a starter (we'll get to that in a second) is any indication.

But let's dream a little bigger than that. King and Imai are two of the more coveted free agent starters on the market this offseason, but neither would be quite as cost prohibitive as the likes of Framber Valdez or Dylan Cease. Sheehan, Ryan, and Keller would take some heavy negotiations and a huge haul, if the Red Sox-Cardinals Sonny Gray trade is any indication, but Ryan and Keller specifically would be much more fitting for a 1-2 punch with Skubal.

Bullpen

• In: Will Vest, Brant Hurter, Tyler Holton
• On thin ice: Everyone else

Detroit's bullpen needs more help than any other part of their roster this offseason. You could even make a case against Holton, who struggled a lot in 2025, but he and Hurter are the only two lefty relievers and Holton has been incredibly useful as the Tigers' resident jack-of-all-trades.

Guys like Keider Montero, Sawyer Gipson-Long, Brenan Hanifee, Bailey Horn, Chase Lee, Ty Madden, and so on all have minor league options and should all be fighting for limited spots in spring training if the Tigers can sign or trade for any of the plethora of relief pitchers available on the trade or free agent markets.

• Potential free agent targets: Kyle Finnegan, Ryan Helsley, Robert Suarez, Devin Williams, Pete Fairbanks, Brad Keller, Luke Weaver, Seranthony Dominguez

Tigers fans would welcome back Finnegan, who has expressed interest in re-signing, with open arms, but that can't be where the work ends. Again, the Tigers are interested in Helsley as a starter but can (and maybe should) abandon that particular thought experiment. Fairbanks, Keller, Weaver, and Dominguez fill out the tier just below Suarez, Williams (who the Tigers have reported interest in signing), and Edwin Díaz (who wants way too much money), but any would still be massive upgrades from some of the no-names the Tigers were calling up in August and September.

Infield

• In: Dillon Dingler, Spencer Torkelson, Gleyber Torres, Javy Báez, Zach McKinstry
• On thin ice: Colt Keith, Jake Rogers
• Out: Jace Jung, Trey Sweeney

In contrast to the bullpen, Detroit's infield is arguably the best part of their roster and the most set for 2026, even though third base is always a question. Where Keith will play and how he even really fits into the team is a big question for next season. He was bumped off of second, then first, and sort of found a home at third base later in the season, but he's struggled to justify his six-year extension at the plate so far.

The Tigers would most likely be loathe to trade Keith, who was given that extension to be at the forefront of Detroit's new, young, all-homegrown squad, but it's incredibly team-friendly, and it's hard not to see his spot on the roster as one that could be upgraded. Cutting Jung and Sweeney feels more realistic and necessary at this point, even though the Tigers clearly hate to give up on former top prospects.

• Potential free agent/trade targets: Alex Bregman, Bo Bichette, Ha-Seong Kim, Kazuma Okamoto
• Prospects to consider: Max Anderson, Kevin McGonigle, Thayron Liranzo, Hao-Yu Lee

The Tigers are expected to talk to Bregman again and have been connected to Kim on-and-off over the years, but we would guess that they go internal here. Anderson and Lee are the closest to the majors (and Lee was just added to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft) and have experience at third base. Anderson just put up a massive showing in the AFL.

On the other hand, a big signing could be mightily persuasive to Skubal, who has already said that he would love to see the Tigers sign Bregman. It would block a lot of prospects and complicate the already complicated infield even more, but it would certainly make a statement to Skubal.

Outfield

• In: Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter, Jahmai Jones
• On thin ice: Parker Meadows, Wenceel Pérez, Matt Vierling
• Out: Justyn-Henry Malloy

Greene and Carpenter are obviously must-haves, and Jones officially took Andy Ibáñez's role as the Tigers' go-to, lefty-killing pinch-hitter when they non-tendered Ibáñez. Meadows, who has been constantly hurt and flailed offensively when he was healthy, should get a trip back down to the minors. Pérez has come up in some big spots, but is overall a barely above-average player. The jury will be out on Vierling until we see how he comes back from a year almost completely lost to injury.

The Tigers clearly aren't sold on Malloy, who seems destined to take Akil Baddoo's spot as the Tigers' eternal Quad-A outfielder. They still might give him a look in spring training, but we shouldn't expect to see him on the 26-man roster come Opening Day.

• Potential free agent/trade targets: Jeff McNeil, Harrison Bader, Cedric Mullins, Nick Castellanos, Adolis García
• Prospects to consider: Trei Cruz

If the Tigers do decide to leave Meadows and Pérez behind, it opens up a world of possibilities in the outfield. Kyle Tucker, Kyle Schwarber, and Cody Bellinger are totally out of the question if the Tigers are even slightly interested in Bregman again, but the Mets are shopping McNeil, who can also play second and third, and New York has previously been interested in Torkelson, who raised his trade value exponentially in 2025.

Castellanos probably isn't happening, if his recent conduct with the Phillies is any indication (TL;DR he seems like a drama queen, and the Tigers don't like drama queens), but they could target fellow 2025 Phillie Harrison Bader to keep Meadows' defense but add a lot more contact.