For all the drama surrounding the Tarik Skubal sweepstakes, and the will they or won't they position the Tigers were in as the trade deadline approached, the Detroit Tigers ultimately kept to just two notable trades. They got good value for both Skubal and Casey Mize, but at the same time didn't really address their biggest weakness in their high leverage relief corps. As they still seem bent on trying to secure a wild card slot, it's a bit of a peculiar mixed bag in terms of their intentions, but ultimately their trades have to be viewed as punting on the 2026 season without simply giving everything away to slash payroll. They had two valuable ****** ets heading to free agency, and they did a solid job of cashing them in for good prospects with which to restock their farm system.
The Tigers currently have the 17th best odds of making the postseason and are +590 on FanDuel's sportsbook to do so at the moment. FanGraphs is more optimistic, giving them a 22.6 percent chance of reaching the playoffs. It helps that they're not entirely out of the divisional race, as well as having the shot at a wild card berth and currently just 2.5 games back of the final spot.
Those odds still aren't great, and with Skubal and Mize out of the rotation, and no attempt to address the bullpen, those odds will also have to be adjusted to reflect the significantly weaker starting rotation they'll be working with down the stretch. Ultimately, while the Tigers will say they're still trying to make the postseason and will do what they can with what they have to do so, the totality of their moves adds up to capitulation without going whole hog and trying to dump the salaries of players like Gleyber Torres, Jack Flaherty, or Kenley Jansen.
Of course, teams have to want those players, and with Flaherty injured, and Jansen struggling, there wasn't going to be much, if any, interest. Still, the decision not to deal Torres is the really interesting one. He wouldn't return a whole lot in trade, but he's also potentially blocking a currently hot-hitting prospect in Max Anderson. Perhaps Anderson will get the call anyway and they'll simply piece together at-bats for the Anderson/Torres duo, but the best reason to keep Torres is to have that extra, professional right-handed bat in the lineup against the best teams in the postseason.
Overall, we'll take the Tigers for what they did do, rather than trying to piece together why other moves weren't pursued. The slightly mixed signals here make it tricky to figure out what they're thinking in regard to their hopes to at least get into the postseason. The trades suggest a team throwing in the towel, and as sellers, they did pretty well overall. On the other hand, their proximity to a wild card berth, says they still have an outside shot. So declining to go after relief help was strange when that's been the team's main problem all season long. Whatever their intentions or hopes the rest of the season, they sold off talent and got quali
The Tigers currently have the 17th best odds of making the postseason and are +590 on FanDuel's sportsbook to do so at the moment. FanGraphs is more optimistic, giving them a 22.6 percent chance of reaching the playoffs. It helps that they're not entirely out of the divisional race, as well as having the shot at a wild card berth and currently just 2.5 games back of the final spot.
Those odds still aren't great, and with Skubal and Mize out of the rotation, and no attempt to address the bullpen, those odds will also have to be adjusted to reflect the significantly weaker starting rotation they'll be working with down the stretch. Ultimately, while the Tigers will say they're still trying to make the postseason and will do what they can with what they have to do so, the totality of their moves adds up to capitulation without going whole hog and trying to dump the salaries of players like Gleyber Torres, Jack Flaherty, or Kenley Jansen.
Of course, teams have to want those players, and with Flaherty injured, and Jansen struggling, there wasn't going to be much, if any, interest. Still, the decision not to deal Torres is the really interesting one. He wouldn't return a whole lot in trade, but he's also potentially blocking a currently hot-hitting prospect in Max Anderson. Perhaps Anderson will get the call anyway and they'll simply piece together at-bats for the Anderson/Torres duo, but the best reason to keep Torres is to have that extra, professional right-handed bat in the lineup against the best teams in the postseason.
Overall, we'll take the Tigers for what they did do, rather than trying to piece together why other moves weren't pursued. The slightly mixed signals here make it tricky to figure out what they're thinking in regard to their hopes to at least get into the postseason. The trades suggest a team throwing in the towel, and as sellers, they did pretty well overall. On the other hand, their proximity to a wild card berth, says they still have an outside shot. So declining to go after relief help was strange when that's been the team's main problem all season long. Whatever their intentions or hopes the rest of the season, they sold off talent and got quali
11 days ago
