Tigers' latest signings are wearing fans down, but hope can't be lost yet

The Detroit Tigers made a couple of transactions in the past few days — the kind of transactions that technically qualify as “offseason activity,” but won’t exactly have Scott Harris trending on social media (not for positive reasons, anyway).

Yes, the Tigers have reportedly re-signed Matt Seelinger and his delightful Mighty Ducks–coded “knuckle puck” on a minor-league deal worth $780,000 if he cracks the big-league roster. And yes, they’re adding right-hander Cole Waites on another minor league pact with a spring training invite. If you're feeling a little underwhelmed… you’re not alone.

This isn’t exactly the kind of announcement Tigers fans were refreshing their phones for after an offseason that has alternated between Tarik Skubal anxiety, free-agent rumor whiplash, and the eternal “will they actually add real bats?” debate. Depth moves are fine — good, even. Every contender needs them. But right now, these signings feel like a grocery run where the Tigers picked up napkins and sandwich bags while the fanbase is screaming for, you know … actual food.

Tigers make pair of underwhelming minor league signings, but hope can't be lost with so much offseason to go

Seelinger is fun. He has a viral pitch. He has a YouTube-friendly aesthetic. And he flashed real strikeout stuff last season in Triple-A (28% strikeout rate). The problem? His 4.27 walks per nine innings probably explain why he's 30 years old and has yet to crack a Major League roster.

If everything clicks, maybe Seelinger is a sneaky bullpen spark for the Tigers. But right now, he’s depth — not the high-leverage arm fans were hoping to see in the “Transaction” section of their feeds.

Meanwhile, Waites has big-time velocity, a wipeout slider and the kind of raw tools that pitching labs dream about. But he also has injuries on his résumé, command questions and just eight big-league innings to his name.

Could the Tigers work some pitching-development magic here? Perhaps. Is this the kind of offseason move that gets them closer to chasing the American League Central crown in 2026? Not by itself.

The Tigers' early offseason moves paint a grim picture, but it's still not time for fans to panic. This is still the appetizer portion of the winter — and sometimes a messy, disappointing appetizer course still leads to a solid entrée. The Tigers don’t get judged on December depth flyers; they get judged on whether they actually supplement this roster with real upgrades before pitchers and catchers report.

And they have to. The AL Central isn’t waiting for them, their core isn’t getting younger, and the Tarik Skubal situation isn't getting less tense. The offense still needs at least one significant addition. A contending team can’t rely on spring-training lottery tickets to fix a bullpen or build out roster stability.

These Seelinger and Waites moves? They’re fine. They’re harmless. They’re pennies on a payroll spreadsheet. But they also mean nothing — nothing — unless the Tigers follow up with real major-league impact.

The good news is that there's still time. The trade market is still thawing. Free agency is still full of bats and bullpen help. There’s runway left for Harris to do something meaningful — something that changes the tone of this offseason from “underwhelming depth signings” to “okay, now we’re cooking.”

And until that moment arrives, Tigers fans should remember that minor league deals don't define the winter; they're merely background noise. The real soundtrack of the Tigers’ offseason hasn’t started playing yet — and for the sake of Detroit baseball sanity, it better be something with actual bass behind it.