Detroit Tigers 2024 Offseason Preview: What’s in store for 2025 after the Tigers’ surprising playoff run?

Let’s take a look at the Detroit Tigers’ 2024 season, the questions the team will have to address this winter, and the early outlook for 2025.

Read more: 2024 MLB Offseason Preview: What’s Next for the White Sox, Angels, Marlins and the Rest?

Postseason result

A magical run through August and September led this young Tigers team to a surprising wild card spot. They defeated the American League’s ultimate playoff dragon by defeating the Astros in the wild-card round and battled the Guardians for five close games before losing in the ALDS.

The Tigers’ game plan of Tarik Skubal “and pitching chaos” took them through their first six postseason games and almost to the ALCS, but the Guardians’ bats finally reached Skubal and the Detroit bullpen in Game 5. Skubal hit a grand slam – the first of his career – when Detroit fell 7-3 in the series finale.

Things that went well

The 2024 Tigers will forever be remembered as the group that completed a long rebuild with the franchise’s first postseason appearance since 2014. And they accomplished that feat in dramatic fashion, going 17-6 from September 1st to the day they clinched their playoff spot on September 27th.

The leader of this club was Tarik Skubal, who is perhaps the best starting hitter in baseball. After posting stunning results in 15 starts last year, he won the American League Triple Crown this season, leading the league in wins, strikeouts and ERA. And despite missing most of the second half with a shoulder injury, Reese Olson showed this season that he could be Skubal’s sidekick for years to come.

The success on the offensive side has been less pronounced, but in Riley Greene and Kerry Carpenter the Tigers have found two players who can play in prime lineup spots. Greene didn’t take much of a step forward in his third season, but showed improved performance and durability. Meanwhile, Carpenter missed 2.5 months with a back injury, but was the team’s best hitter when healthy (.932 OPS).

Things that went wrong

Spencer Torkelson’s struggles were a big reason why the Tigers’ offense didn’t take much of a step forward. The slugger was expected to build on a 31-homer season in 2023 and instead hit .201 with four home runs when he was selected for the minors on June 2. He returned to the bigs in mid-August and performed better as the stretch continued, providing some hope for next season.

Javier Báez’s game reached a new low in 2024. The 31-year-old was batting .184 with a .516 OPS in 80 games before undergoing season-ending hip surgery in late August. Báez posted an OPS of just .610 in the first three seasons of his lucrative six-year, $140 million contract with Detroit.

On the pitching side, Kenta Maeda let the team down. The 36-year-old signed a two-year, $24 million contract in the offseason with the expectation that he would start in the middle of the rotation. Instead, he posted the worst results of any pitcher who played a significant role on the team. Manager AJ Hinch tried to help Maeda in the second half by having him follow an opener, but he still finished the season with a 6.09 ERA.

Off season plans

The Tigers have a lot of young talent. The challenge is identifying which of your prospects are ready to take the next step.

The outfield is in good condition. Greene will be the left fielder and Carpenter and Matt Vierling can share right field. Carpenter will also appear regularly on DH. Parker Meadows struggled after being included in the opening day squad, but returned after a few months in the minors and played much better as he went on. He should be the center fielder and leadoff hitter next year. Wenceel Pérez would fit well as a reserve outfielder.

The infield has more questions than answers. Torkelson should be the Opening Day first baseman as the organization won’t be quick to give up on someone drafted first in 2020. Colt Keith was inconsistent during his rookie season but had enough positives to start 2025 as a second baseman. The third base job is wide open as Jace Jung didn’t draw much attention during an audition at the end of the season. Vierling could also play the hot corner if needed.

General manager Jeff Greenberg will have to decide Báez’s future in the offseason. It would be difficult to eat up the final three years of Báez’s contract, but at his current level he cannot continue to play regularly for the Tigers. Prospect Trey Sweeney played shortstop down the stretch but didn’t perform well offensively. Jake Rogers and Dillon Dingler will likely form the catching duo, and Andy Ibáñez will fill a valuable utility role.

The 2025 rotation will be led by Skubal and Olson. In a perfect world, they’ll soon be joined by Jackson Jobe, widely considered to be baseball’s best pitching prospect. It’s unlikely that Casey Mize will achieve the stardom that was expected when he was selected first overall in 2018, but he will still hold down a rotation spot. Keider Montero, Brant Hurter and Ty Madden will fight for the final rotation spots.

The relief corps lacks a dominant pitcher but has plenty of effective weapons, including Jason Foley, Tyler Holton and Will Vest. Shelby Miller should also be back as the organization would be wise to pick up his club option.

Overall, the front office needs to find the right balance of adding veterans who will help the team in 2025 without blocking the talented young talent that will soon need to be promoted to the majors. Adding a starter and a backup player are the most obvious moves this winter. If the Tigers are willing to release Báez, they could also make a big impact on offense by adding a shortstop who can hit the heart of the lineup.

Perspectives on the horizon

Detroit’s farm system has steadily evolved in recent years and is now considered one of the best in baseball. Much of the organization’s top talent is expected to arrive in 2026, but there are some key players ready to bolster next year’s big league roster.

Jobe has been a hot topic throughout 2024, with Tigers fans clamoring for him to make his debut. The Tigers likely took the right approach with the third overall pick in the 2021 draft by letting him spend the majority of his season in Double-A. But after a brief stint in Triple-A, Jobe was promoted from the Tigers’ bullpen to practice in the final week of the regular season and pitched four scoreless innings in September before giving up three runs in 1⅔ innings in the postseason. Jobe will likely be part of the Tigers’ 2025 Opening Day rotation.

There are some top players in Detroit’s system who are still a few years away. Max Clark, the third overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, is one of the best prospects in baseball at any position. He profiles as an excellent defender who has strong plate discipline and performs well on the base paths. His strength should improve with age. Kevin McGonigle and Bryce Rainer could end up turning double plays in Detroit. McGonigle has been an on-base machine, rarely striking out and running the bases aggressively. Rainer was the team’s first-round pick that year.

Goals for 2025

Detroit has made steady progress over the past few seasons, highlighted by the team’s playoff berth this year. The peak of this potential dynasty will likely be several years away with players like Clark, McGonigle and Rainer all making an impact in Detroit. But Hinch currently has enough talent to challenge the top teams in the AL Central.

While Jobe could have a big impact on the rotation next year, the biggest key will be improving the offense. The Tigers need to score more runs to win the AL Central, and that means improvement over players like Meadows, Torkelson and Keith.

Fantasy focus

Skubal will be the first pitcher off the board in many 2025 fantasy drafts. Having already been selected in Round 1, we won’t see any more Tigers until the middle round. At this point, Greene, Carpenter and Olson will be possible options. Jobe will be an exciting late riser who could rise up the draft rankings in spring training.