Verdict on Scott Harris' trade deadline? It may ruin the Tigers' 2025 season

Detroit's deadline deals may have done more harm than good.

Emma Lingan

Detroit Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris watches live batting practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Detroit Tigers had one of the best records in baseball at the 2025 trade deadline. Less than two months later, they are fighting for their postseason lives. Once leading the American League Central division by as many as 15½ games, Detroit has seen that lead shrivel down to just one game over the Cleveland Guardians heading into play on Sunday. How did we end up here?

At the trade deadline, president of baseball operations Scott Harris was heavily criticized for the moves he didn't make to bolster the Tigers' roster depth as they gear up for the postseason. But perhaps the additions he did make — namely, pitchers Charlie Morton and Chris Paddack — have actually done more harm than good.

The pair have a combined 13.77 ERA in their time in Detroit. Paddack has been demoted to the bullpen (with decidedly mixed results) and Morton was designated for assignment on Sunday. As the veteran pieces who were supposed to help Detroit's playoff efforts, they have instead turned into liabilities and opened Harris up to even more criticism for his deadline strategy.

Scott Harris' trade deadline strategy comes under fire as Charlie Morton, Chris Paddack struggle with Tigers

The Tigers added the 41-year-old Morton as a veteran stopgap — a short-term mentor for a young pitching staff, with the added hope he could provide postseason experience. They expected steady innings from him, but he hasn't been able to deliver length, which has forced the bullpen into heavy usage. Morton was supposed to be a “high floor” veteran presence but instead looked like a pitcher on his last legs, leaving the Tigers with little return on their investment

Meanwhile, Paddack was expected to be a solid, middle-of-the-rotation arm. But hitters squared up on him early and often once he got to Detroit, which led to damaging big innings and, ultimately, his demotion to the bullpen. Instead of being a stabilizer, Paddack has been a net negative, looking more like a fringe No. 5 starter (at best) than a rotation fixture.

These were the "marquee" additions, mind you. Paul Sewald has pitched in one game. Kyle Finnegan was great before getting injuried. Codi Heuer is no longer here. Randy Dobnak is in the minor leagues. Rafael Montero has been fine, but he hasn't changed the bullpen picture much.

We'll admit, a lot of Tigers fans (including us) thought there was some overreaction with Harris' deadline plans. After all, the top talent out there was unattractively expensive and probably wouldn't have elevated the Tigers into another echelon of contention. That said, they needed to maintain the status quo, and instead the trade deadline has become their undoing as they're in danger of falling out of the postseason altogether.

Emma Lingan

Emma Lingan is an MLB Staff Writer for FanSided primarily covering the Pittsburgh Pirates. She has been covering baseball for more than a decade dating back to her time as a student at Wake Forest University, and she has won two gold medals as a member of the U.S. National Team delegation (2016 Pan-American Championships & 2017 World Baseball Classic). A native of Washington, D.C. and current resident of Nashville, Tenn., she is also entering her seventh season as a credentialed NHL media member and currently covers the NHL’s Nashville Predators for The Hockey News. When she's not watching hockey, baseball or football, she enjoys podcasting, reading, going to the gym, consuming large amounts of coffee and taking long walks with her dog, Minkah. You can follow her @Emma_lingan on Twitter and Instagram.