Tigers claim former Dodgers rookie of the year candidate from Twins

The Detroit Tigers may be at a turning point in their season, and there's been a growing belief that offense could be top of mind if there's plans to buy at this year's MLB trade deadline. First base or the outfield would be the two areas where the Tigers could use an upgrade, but in the meantime, Detroit is 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 117 wRC+ during his rookie campaign in 2023. Unfortunately, he's never been able to replicate that success in the years since.

Eventually, the Dodgers were exhausted with the experiment, and shipped him to the Minnesota Twins at last summer's trade deadline in exchange 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, there's almost nothing positive to note. He 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 much 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. Outman has 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. Jones was a success story for the Tigers last season, but has become a liability on the bench. 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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