Scott Harris actually takes accountability for Tigers' failures (but doesn't promise change)

A season postmortem press conference is always a depressing affair, but it's an equally informative one.

Scott Harris and AJ Hinch sat in front of a room full of media members who are just as disappointed and confused as to how the Tigers' 2026 played out as fans. Harris opened the proceedings the only way he should've: with apologies.

Harris, who tends to handle his public-facing responsibilities well, took accountability for the lack of depth the Tigers saw exposed in May, when it felt like a different player was going onto the IL every other day. He said he was disappointed in himself. He said he could feel it in his stomach. But what did he plan to do about that in the offseason?

He hid his answer underneath a lot of pretty words, but it was there nonetheless. The Tigers will continue to do what they've always done under his leadership.

Instead of expressing regrets about not adding a bat in the offseason, he redirected to praise the Tigers' young core for their strides this season. He refused to change his core philosophy of not blocking young players. Minor league starters will be converted into major league relievers. Growth will be internal. Same old Tigers.

Scott Harris hints at yet another quiet offseason for Tigers after disappointing 2026

To his credit, there are multiple small ways we've seen strides from this team. Riley Greene, last year's AL strikeout king, wrapped up this year with the second-highest OBP on the team behind only Kevin McGonigle. Max Clark, John Peck, and Brett Callahan's additions added some speed and daringness on the base paths. If Eduardo Valencia can continue putting up the same kind of offensive production next season, that may be the big bat fans wanted.

And there were some highlights. The Tigers are going to start stealing more bases, Harris said. Pinch-hitting will decrease.

But the underlying concern here is whether or not next season is going to be another transitional one, rather than a competitive one. Sophomore slumps will happen, players might not be able to replicate their successes to the letter, and if there's no offseason spending, there's no safety net.

The Tigers' roster is only going to get younger with Justin Verlander, Jack Flaherty, Gleyber Torres, and (hopefully) Kenley Jansen leaving. There is promise in this young team, but in Harris' unwillingness to block any of his players is also a lot of danger that we'll see more of the same in 2027.

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