Tigers claim former Dodgers rookie of the year candidate from Twins

As the Detroit Tigers hope to be in the midst of turning their season around, there's been a growing belief that offense could be top of mind if they still plan on buying at the MLB trade deadline. First base or outfield would be the two areas where the Tigers could use an upgrade, and in the meantime, they are taking a flier on a former Los Angeles Dodgers rookie of the year candidate.

James Outman was once an up-an-coming outfielder with the Dodgers, hitting 23 home runs and posting a wRC+ of 117 during his rookie campaign in 2023. The problem is that the 29-year-old has never been able to replicate that success in the years since.

Eventually, the Dodgers simply were exhausted with the experiment, shipping him to the Minnesota Twins at the deadline last summer for Brock Stewart. The Twins offered Outman more runway than he had with the Dodgers, but the results once again weren't there.

Considering Outman entered the 2026 season out of minor-league options, it felt like his time with the Twins was eventually going to come to an end. In his 70 plate appearances this season, there's almost nothing positive to note. Outman carried a 33 wRC+ before the Twins designated him for assignment earlier this week, and he was striking out over 41% of the time.

In other words, it's hard to expect that much will change for Outman in Detroit. If nothing else, it's a move that bides time. To make room for Outman on the 40-man roster, the Tigers transferred Javier Baez to the 60-day IL. With Baez not coming back anytime soon for the Tigers, Outman offers the ability to play all three outfield positions.

James Outman signals Tigers' farewell to Jahmai Jones?

It would seem that Outman is destined to take spot of Jahmai Jones on the Tigers' 26-man roster. Jone was a success story for the Tigers last season, but has become a liability on the bench. Again, it's hard to expect that Outman will be much better, but if nothing else, it's a different look to the Tigers' bench.

At the very least, it's encouraging to see the Tigers work to have the best 26 players on the roster. There's a case that Scott Harris and Co. may not have always had that approach over the last several months, but improvement has to start somewhere. Perhaps Outman is that, if not, the Tigers can cut their losses pretty easily if needed.

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