Tigers can't cast aside Jahmai Jones for cheap offseason addition based on spring stats

After a deeply underwhelming 2025 season, utilityman Austin Slater was forced to settle for a minor league deal with the Tigers. He had a decent enough 51 games with the White Sox to start his year, but 14 games with the Yankees after the trade deadline yielded a .120 average and .240 OPS with 16 strikeouts in 25 plate appearances.

Slater's been faring decently in Tigers camp: .267/.856 over 15 games with a homer and four RBI. He checks some boxes the Tigers like as guy with some defensive versatility.

His deal included three opt-out dates; the first falls on March 21. If he exercises it, the Tigers will have 48 hours to add him to the 40-man roster or let him go. He's survived multiple rounds of spring training cuts so far.

If the Tigers were going to cut anyone to make room for Slater, it would probably be outfielder Jahmai Jones, who endeared himself to Tigers fans quickly last season, when he replaced Andy Ibáñez as their resident lefty killer.

Jones hasn't been hitting well in spring training (.167/.508) and was mostly underwhelming in the World Baseball Classic (though he did hit a homer against Team Czechia), but the Tigers shouldn't be so quick to replace Jones based on spring sample sizes.

Austin Slater isn't crashing and burning in Tigers spring training, but that shouldn't be enough for him to replace Jahmai Jones

AJ Hinch said of making a decision on Slater's future, "We try not to get too far ahead of ourselves in the decisions until they have to be made. [...] He's been everything as advertised when we signed him. Now, it's a matter of the type of roster that he fits on with the strengths of our team and where the openings are. We'll continue to discuss it."

Not exactly a ringing endorsement, though Slater does have a few points in his favor. He and Scott Harris have a connection dating back to their shared seasons with the Giants, and he's a better outfield defender than Jones.

But he's not as good against lefty pitching, which is the main reason the Tigers love Jones in the first place. Slater has more experience, but he's also a worse hitter in high leverage.

We're hoping the Tigers stick with Jones. He's a vibes guy in Detroit's clubhouse and an easy fan favorite, and his track record from 2025 speaks to him as the far better bet.