Scott Harris tells Tigers fans like it is with harsh 2025 trade deadline reality

Scott Harris stuck to his guns at the trade deadline. He bought freely, but only gave up two top-15 prospects and no major league players. He decided to trust the core he's already established to get better and, perhaps even more importantly, pitching coach Chris Fetter to rehabilitate the new guys.

The Tigers proved on Friday night that they desperately needed the influx of bullpen arms, when Tyler Holton, Will Vest, Brenan Hanifee, and Brant Hurter blew a 3-0 lead after a Jack Flaherty gem, then allowed the Phillies to win by a run after a late go-ahead homer from Wenceel Pérez. None of Detroit's new arms pitched.

Still, names like Rafael Montero, Paul Sewald, and Codi Heuer didn't exactly get the people going, or lent much reassurance that the game would've gone any other way if they had pitched. It added insult to injury that Jhoan Duran, who the Tigers reportedly showed interest in before he was eventually traded to the Phillies, notched his first save for the Phillies against the Tigers.

Harris explained his thinking around the trade deadline and reiterated that he has a long-term vision for the team he wasn't willing to compromise.

"A lot of the moves we passed on felt like moves that were going to haunt us for many years to come," he said. "We have what we think is one of the best, if not the best, farm system in all of baseball, and that means we got really good players coming. [...] Some of those guys are gonna get there this year. [...] Giving up on young players to chase short-term fixes, for this organization, is not in the best interest of the Tigers."

Scott Harris explained Tigers' lack of huge moves at 2025 trade deadline

Pitchers that the Tigers had been vaguely connected to ahead of the trade deadline — like Duran, David Bednar, and Ryan Helsley — brought in huge prospect hauls after the Giants traded Tyler Rogers to the Mets for two top-15 prospects. The Padres' AJ Preller gave up their No. 1 prospect (and No. 3 in all of baseball) for the Athletics' Mason Miller.

Harris was never going to do anything like that. The Tigers do have the best farm system in baseball, per multiple evaluators, and the fact that most of Detroit's winning core this year are homegrown only supports his argument. Harris is playing the long game.

This will still be dissatisfying for some Tigers fans, especially after the frustration of Friday night's loss. However, Harris' allusion to some of their top prospects getting their major league debuts this year gives fans a lot to look forward to, and reason to be glad that the Tigers held onto them. Detroit's new No. 1 prospect Kevin McGonigle has been absolutely raking in Double-A since he was promoted, and Max Clark and Josue Briceño also seem like real considerations in 2026. That's the future that Harris wasn't willing to jeopardize, and maybe he was right not to.