Tigers fans pretending to miss Ryan Kreidler amid Twins surge are kidding themselves

There's always one player who tends to become a punching bag for Tigers fans in any given season. This isn't unique to Tigers fans by any means, but the extent to which we can pick out a fringe player and turn on him is a little astounding. Even if there are many things to dislike about the team, there's always one player most worthy of scorn.

This year, it's Jahmai Jones. For a time last year, it was Ryan Kreidler.

Kreidler was a former top prospect who peaked at No. 7 in the pipeline in 2022, but he hit an abysmal .138 with a .383 OPS in 89 major league games over four seasons as a Tiger. Detroit finally DFA'ed him in August 2025, and the fandom responded like it was the best thing that's ever happened to the team.

This year, though, Kreidler is having something of a resurgence with the Twins. He's far from an everyday player, but he's made the most of his opportunities. He's hitting .256 with a .770 OPS, five homers, and 23 RBI in 47 games, and is playing all over the field for Minnesota. Per both FanGraphs and Baseball Reference, he's putting up his first positive WAR season since his rookie year with the Tigers.

It's baffling and almost impossible to accept for Tigers fans, but some are suggesting they'd rather have Kreidler than Jones right now. That's taking things a little too far.

Tigers have no reason to miss Ryan Kreidler despite improvements with Twins

Guys, seriously. Come on. Let's not kid ourselves here. There is absolutely zero reason for us to be mourning the loss of Kreidler, an absolutely abhorred player of many years, just because he's having a surprisingly decent season this year. There was nothing that indicated a turnaround might be on its way for him in Detroit.

Jones has been the unfortunate scapegoat for AJ Hinch's sketchy in-game decisions and Scott Harris' less-than-ideal roster construction at the fringes. We make no apologies for him, but we're not going to defend Kreidler at his expense, either. The Tigers had no reason to keep Kreidler based on his numbers last year, and every reason to keep Jones. It's clear that Kreidler's ceiling, though higher than Tigers fans thought after the 2022 season, is still not that high.

Sometimes a player just needs a change of scenery. It's unfortunate that it had to happen with a division rival, but letting him go last year was the objectively correct choice.

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