Tigers News: Lou Whitaker Hall of Fame, Alex Bregman update, Tarik Skubal

How on earth is Lou Whitaker still not in Cooperstown?

Detroit Tigers fans have been asking this for two decades, and somehow the question keeps aging worse than the voting system itself. Sweet Lou put up 75.1 career WAR, anchored a dynasty, changed the standard for second basemen, and did it all with elite defense, elite consistency, and elite respect from everyone except the people who hold the ballots.

Meanwhile Jeff Kent — great hitter, yes, but a historically limited defender with far less total value — gets the call while Whitaker isn’t even eligible for consideration? How does that make sense in any universe that pretends to care about complete players?

Tigers fans aren’t bitter. We’re exhausted. We’ve watched Alan Trammell finally get in. We’ve watched Whitaker’s case get ignored, dismissed, lost between committees. And now we’re watching a guy with 25 fewer WAR get immortalized while Sweet Lou waits outside the museum he should’ve been in years ago.

If Cooperstown wants credibility back, it starts with three words: Induct Lou Whitaker.

Tigers News: Detroit's interest in Alex Bregman is "lukewarm" at start of Winter Meetings

The Tigers’ interest in free-agent third baseman Alex Bregman appears to have cooled compared to last winter, according to a new report from Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press.

Detroit spent three months aggressively pursuing Bregman last offseason and ultimately put the largest overall contract offer on the table, but still finished as the runner-up to Boston’s three-year, $120 million deal that included two opt-outs and significant deferred money. The Tigers believed they were close, only to watch the Red Sox structure a contract Bregman preferred.

Now, as the 2025 Winter Meetings begin, Petzold reports that Detroit’s stance is far more “lukewarm.” While the front office still likes Bregman and views him as a potential lineup-anchoring upgrade at third base, the Tigers are not pushing with the same urgency or aggression they showed a year ago.

Bregman remains one of the most accomplished hitters on the market — and a natural fit for Detroit’s needs — but unless the landscape shifts, the Tigers seem content to monitor the situation rather than drive it.

Tigers News: Detroit stuck in Tarik Skubal "purgatory" as standoff continues

Tigers fans know that keeping Tarik Skubal requires a level of spending, commitment and competitive fire that owner Christopher Ilitch has never actually demonstrated. For that reason, Petzold says, the Tigers are stuck in "purgatory" with their ace as they refuse to extend, trade or aggressively build around him.

Infrastructure investments don’t win October games. Moderate free-agent signings don’t keep generational aces from sprinting to the Los Angeles Dodgers in free agency. If Ilitch really wants to “win a World Series,” like he said four times in 165 seconds back in October, here’s his moment.

The next step isn’t complicated: either offer Skubal $450 million before he hits the open market, or be fully prepared to outbid the Dodgers, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays and whoever else decides they want the best left-hander in baseball next year.

It's not up to Scott Harris. It's not up to Jeff Greenberg. It's not even up to Skubal himself. Only Ilitch –– and his wallet –– can keep Skubal in Detroit. And until he proves he’s willing to spend like it, Tigers fans are stuck watching the clock tick down on the most important player this franchise has had in a decade.