3 takeaways from Detroit Tigers end of season press conference

2. The work in player development continues

Harris mentioned the strides in players like Justice Bigbie, who led the farm system in hitting with a .343 batting average, made several announcements that will aid in player development in the future. Harris announced the following, which has been consistent with his messaging about improving the player development experience.

— Tigers purchased land in the Dominican Republic, and they are in the design phase of a new Dominican Academy. “That's going to make us a lot more competitive internationally” Harris said.

— there is a new dorm building coming soon in Lakeland, a covered field, new cages and mounds as they continue expansion projects to help in minor league player development.

— Harris announced that the team will acquire a new, fully customized plane equipped with best-in-class features aimed at promoting comfort, recovery, and the desired team culture. In addition, Harris revealed that the second phase of renovations for the clubhouse and performance center is set to begin, with both upgrades expected to impact the team at the big-league level.

Detroit, as a whole, historically speaking has always been behind when it comes to making changes to infostructure, so this is a welcome sight that may not be visible to all fans.

3. How the Tigers may address free agency

When Harris was asked about if Eduardo Rodriguez opts out of his contract, how would Detroit address that, this is what he said.

We have another month, we're going to take all the time that we can to beat up every decision from every angle. We are going to be very active this off-season, and we're, as far as exactly what we're going to do and the specific positions we're going to target, we have another month."

The way their contracts were structured, they (referring to Javier Baez as well) have a decision to make, we don't have a decision to make as an organization. It is their decision given, the way that their contract has been structured, we don't anticipate any conversations prior to their decision, there haven't been any, and I don't plan on having any between now and those decisions.

Detroit has seen strides in their farm system as Sawyer Gipson-Long and Reese Olson emerged as potential starters in 2024 with Ty Madden, Brant Hurter and a few others who saw a rise in their strikeout numbers in 2023. But across the board, the Tigers will have to address several positions, whether internally or via trades.

The money is off the books from Miguel Cabrera but when it came to addressing in how it will be spent, Harris said this:

We can spend to complement a core. We can’t spend to build a core. That’s not a viable strategy in this market. We are going to walk the line of being active in free agency and trades to find outside additions that can help us without blocking our young players.

In other words, while Detroit may be cautious with their spending, the strong finish to the season has set fan expectations for active offseason moves to improve the team. The onus is now on Harris and his staff to continue developing Detroit into a playoff contender, particularly given the relatively weak competition in the AL Central for 2024.

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