The Detroit Tigers season ended in the kind of fashion which will make it an extremely long and cold winter before fans get to watch their team play again next April.
While much of the season was a special ride and inspires hope that this team has arrived as a legitimate contender in the American League, Detroit also blew a division lead in historic fashion and wound up getting eliminated in the same spot they did a year prior during October.
If they are going to get further next year, it’s going to take some savvy moves this winter from president of baseball operations Scott Harris to make it happen. Last winter, Harris did some big things, but not all of them worked out.
Here were the two best and two worst moves the Tigers made:
Best: Signing 2B Gleyber Torres
Even though Torres missed a little bit of time due to injury and his game slipped some down the stretch as he battled through a sports hernia, it’s tough to say his one-year, $15 million deal was anything but a complete success from Harris.
Torres had one of the best defensive seasons of his career, and with the bat in his hands he was arguably the team’s most consistent hitter. The 28-year-old hits free agency again coming off the prove it deal after slashing .256/.358/.387 with 16 home runs and 74 RBI in 145 games played
There’s an argument to be made Detroit should bring him back, however with young prospects on the way and Torres likely to command a long-term deal, letting him walk feels most likely. Still, he was a critical piece of a special season.
Worst: Signing SP Alex Cobb
Not only was the Cobb contract the worst move of the offseason, it’s one of the worst moves the Tigers have ever made.
Cobb got an identical one-year, $15 million deal as Torres which was worth up to $17 million with innings-based incentives, but the veteran right-hander never appeared in a game for Detroit as he continued to deal with a hip issue which he said nearly caused him to retire before he got the call from Harris.
The Tigers passed on Justin Verlander — who wound up signing a similar one-year deal with the San Francisco Giants — largely because of Cobb, and Verlander proceeded to have a solid year via an incredible second half while Cobb was just never able to make any impact.
Harris must use his funds more carefully this winter and avoid a disaster contract like this.
Best: Signing SP Jack Flaherty
Flaherty obviously had an up and down season and perhaps this deal still has yet to receive a real verdict as Detroit awaits a decision on his $20 million player option for 2026, but there was a good deal to like about the right-hander’s season.
For one, in a year in which virtually the entire rotation outside of Tarik Skubal missed starts due to injury, Flaherty started 31 games and was among the more reliable pitchers in baseball. The overall numbers aren’t great with a 4.64 ERA and an 8-15 record which saw him lead the American League in losses.
With that being said though, Flaherty showed brilliance at times and frequently showed up when he was needed most. The Tigers would certainly like to have him back next year.
Worst: Signing RP Tommy Kahnle
While the $7.75 million contract for Kahnle looked like a steal early in the year, this proved not to be the case and the right-hander was one of the worst relievers on the team throughout 2025. Finishing the campaign with a 4.43 ERA, 1.302 WHIP and a bWAR of -0.1, Kahnle did not live up to the investment and it was clear the contract was a mistake.
Fittingly, it was Kahnle who was on the mound to end Detroit’s season in the 15th inning against the Seattle Mariners. This winter, Harris has to do a better job of evaluating talent for the bullpen, as next year’s ceiling could depend on it.
It certainly did this year.