Bleacher Report’s 2026 lineup prediction for Tigers should embarrass the front office

The offseason isn't over yet, but if Bleacher Report’s projected 2026 Detroit Tigers Opening Day lineup is even close to accurate… Scott Harris and Chris Ilitch should be embarrassed. Mortified, even.

This isn’t a vision of a team that just added the final touches to a contender. This is a lineup that looks like the Tigers basically shrugged, said “good enough,” and hoped Tarik Skubal can throw a complete game every fifth day.

Here’s Detroit's projected lineup, per Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter:

• 3B Colt Keith
• 2B Gleyber Torres
• DH Kerry Carpenter
• LF Riley Greene
• 1B Spencer Torkelson
• RF Wenceel Pérez
• C Dillon Dingler
• SS Javier Báez
• CF Parker Meadows

Reuter even tried to spin it nicely — “solid lineup without any glaring holes.” And that’s the problem. Tigers fans don’t want “solid," "league-average" or "competent" –– not after all the patience, the payroll flexibility speeches and the years of rebuilding.

We want a threatening lineup –– a lineup that makes opposing pitchers sweat. A lineup where the 7-8-9 hitters aren’t automatic innings off. Instead, we got "let's run it back with the exact same lineup from last year and hope for different results."

Tigers' offense looks painfully familiar in Bleacher Report's 2026 Opening Day roster projections

Let’s talk about the decisions that led here. The Tigers went into the offseason with a back-to-back Cy Young winner in Skubal, money to spend, a weak division and a fanbase begging for more. And the big position-player splash so far?

Gleyber Torres on a one-year qualifying offer.

That’s it. No big middle-of-the-order bat, no Alex Bregman-type anchor, no major trade swing. Just a gamble that internal growth will magically offset glaring needs.

Sure, there's upside. But upside isn't a plan. Colt Keith could break out... or he could need another year. Spencer Torkelson could rebound... or not. Kerry Carpenter could stay healthy... or not. Dillon Dingler could hit... or be a glove-first catcher.

There is no safety net, no margin for failure, and no proven star-caliber bat outside Torres — who is literally here as a one-year own rental. If this is the Opening Day lineup, the Tigers are one oblique strain away from Jake Rogers batting sixth again.

And the most frustrating part? This team is one signing or trade away from being terrifying. Add Bregman? Game-changer. Add a legit corner outfielder? Huge impact. Even add a mid-tier bat with OBP? That moves the needle.

Instead, the fanbase keeps being fed the same corporate line: “We like our internal options.”

Cool. So does every 75-win team ever.

If the front office rolls out this exact lineup in March and calls it complete, then they’re not serious about winning the AL Central –– they’re just hoping to stumble into it. And Tigers fans deserve better than “hope.”

Bleacher Report’s projection doesn’t embarrass the Tigers. It embarrasses the people building them. And if Scott Harris doesn’t see that, the fanbase sure does.