Tigers reportedly poaching two coaches from fading AL contender in offseason shakeup

The Tigers have already made a couple of notable additions and subtractions to and from their coaching staff and front office. The most notable addition has been former Cubs strategy coach Alex Smith, hired by the Tigers to be their assistant president of baseball strategy. Smith overlapped with Detroit president of baseball operations Scott Harris in Chicago during Harris' two-year tenure.

First base coach Anthony Iapoce and hitting coach Keith Beauregard have been the notable subtractions, but per Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic, the Tigers are closing in on a couple of replacements, both from the Orioles.

Anthony Sanders, the Orioles' first base coach since 2020, is expected to replace Iapoce. Cody Asche, Baltimore's hitting coach in 2025, is joining as an assistant hitting coach. So far, there's no news about Beauregard's direct replacement.

Coaching shakeups are just part of the offseason, but it's fair for Tigers fans to worry after the Orioles finished off their season 75-87 and fifth in the AL East.

After the Tigers' ALDS exit, AJ Hinch said, "We wouldn't be doing our jobs if we didn't debrief about our entire group," so we might see even more changes before spring training next year.

Tigers reportedly hiring Orioles' Anthony Sanders, Cody Asche as first base coach and assistant hitting coach

Sanders and Asche are both former players; Sanders spent three years in the majors with the Blue Jays and Mariners from 1999-2001 and was previously a coach within the Rockies organization. Asche spent five years with the Phillies and White Sox from 2013-2017 and has also coached with the Phillies since retiring.

It's somewhat reassuring that Asche isn't the Tigers' lead hitting coach, as the Orioles finished off the 2025 season with a seventh-lowest collective batting average (.235) and run scored, and fourth-most strikeouts (1,457) during Asche's first and only year on the job.

It's hard to see how a guy like that could help a team so strikeout-plagued as the Tigers, but we'll withhold some judgement while we wait to see who the TIgers hire above him.

All told, apart from Beauregard's firing, it's been a bit of a weird start to the offseason for Detroit.