Tigers' Rule 5 decisions will have big implications for 40-man roster in 2026

The Detroit Tigers have just hours left to protect players eligible for the Rule 5 Draft by adding them to their 40-man roster. There's just one problem, though –– they are already sitting at a full 40.

The Tigers have five ranked prospects whom they must add to their 40-man roster by Tuesday's deadline if they want to shield them from being selected in the Rule 5 Draft: catcher Thayron Liranzo (No. 5), infielder Hao-Yu Lee (No. 6), left-handed pitcher Jake Miller (No. 19), infielder Izaac Pacheco (No. 21) and right-handed pitcher RJ Petit (No. 30).

Liranzo is a switch-hitting power catcher who is too talented to leave exposed. Lee's elite contact skills make him a perfect Rule 5 target, and he is too polished a hitter to leave unprotected. Miller is the kind of low-velocity lefty with deception and plus command that teams love to steal in the Rule 5 Draft, so Detroit may want to protect him as well.

That leaves Pacheco –– who has tools but could become a victim of Detroit's roster squeeze –– and Petit, who will likely pass through even if left exposed. Regardless, the Tigers have some critical decisions to make before 6 p.m.

This deadline is quietly one of the most consequential roster-shaping moments of the offseason. The Tigers’ decisions on these five prospects aren’t just about protecting them now — they’re about structuring the entire 40-man roster for 2026 and beyond.

What Tigers' Rule 5 decisions will mean for 40-man roster in 2026

Protecting the likely trio of Liranzo, Lee and Miller and making a decision on Pacheco will have a profound effect on the Tigers' 2026 roster outlook.

If Liranzo is protected, he and Dillon Dingler give Detroit two long-term, cost-controlled catchers, with Jake Rogers as a short-term bridge. If Lee is protected, the 2026 infield picture gets crowded, and a trade becomes inevitable (likely someone like Trey Sweeney or Jace Jung).

Protecting Miller would begin to shape the Tigers' 2026 bullpen pipeline. He is cheap, has minor league options, is reliable enough to call up and provides the left-handed depth that has become a persistent organizational need in Detroit. It allows the Tigers to fill out their bullpen without overspending.

Protecting three or four of these prospects now means Detroit will inevitably have to cut or trade veterans sooner, make harder calls on fringe contributors, and shorten the leash for players like Sweeney and Jung. This is the beginning of the roster bottleneck the front office has been bracing for.

This deadline doesn’t just decide who the Tigers keep; it decides which positions will be youth-driven in 2026, which veterans will be squeezed out, how the 40-man evolves as their contention window opens, and who becomes trade capital next summer. It’s one of those unglamorous but massively important inflection points in a team’s future — and Detroit’s decisions with Liranzo, Lee, Miller, Pacheco, and Petit will echo loudly in 2026.