After an exciting end to the 2024 season, the Tigers showed that they have a young core of players, and a future worth getting excited about. After winning 86 games and taking the last wild card spot, the Tigers showed that they could compete with the best when they swept Houston and went toe to toe with their division rivals, the Cleveland Guardians.

In 2025, Cleveland, Kansas City, and potentially even Minnesota will not make it easy for the Tigers to build upon their success. Even though Cleveland is likely to subtract, and Minnesota can be unpredictable, they still pose a threat. Add this with a Kansas City team that looks to be a dangerous player in years to come, and the Tigers need to make sure that they nail this offseason to ensure continued success. That said, I think there are a couple of glaring holes on this team that I would address if I were Scott Harris.

First and foremost, the Tigers need to make sure that they can keep their core intact long-term. Second, the Tigers need to add an impact bat somewhere in this lineup to support Riley Greene and Kerry Carpenter. Third, as much as "pitching chaos" was fun, it will be unsustainable if you cannot get starters to throw significant innings.

1. The Tigers need to make sure that they can keep their core intact long-term by extending Skubal and Greene

The two pieces at the center of the Tigers’ success this season were Tarik Skubal and Riley Greene. If the Tigers are seeking to remain relevant for years to come, I am sure Harris has already thought long and hard about what his plans are for each of them. That said, here is what I would do.

1. Skubal extension needs to be priority number 1

Skubal is likely to win the Cy Young and is now the bonafide ace we saw flashes of during his prior seasons. Even though I wanted to trade him at the deadline this year (I was wrong) I think he showed that this team is nothing without his leadership and pitching ability.

All of this said, I still have significant concerns about Skubal’s injury history. This is the first season of his career that he has broken 150 innings. Add in tommy john and other issues on his pitching arm, I think there is risk that a deal could completely blow up if you extend him.

Even with these concerns, I think its worth the risk to extend Skubal. Cy Young pitchers do not grow on trees and having one lead your organization signifies to both the team and the fans that you are here to compete. Even with injury concerns, the upside far outweighs the downsides of trying to lock him up now as opposed to waiting for him to hit the market. At 6yrs/$150mil, I think you can get him locked up and minimize risk.

1. Greene extension should happen, but is not as urgent

Riley Greene was an all-start this year, and rightfully so after he put up 5.4 bWAR with 24 home runs and a slashline of .262/.348/.479. Now that he is off centerfield I have better feelings about his long term health (he only broke 100 games in a season this year). With these numbers there needs to be serious discussions about extension. I am not as inclined to jump at one the way I am with Skubal at this moment in time, but if you can get him for similar to what the Astros paid Alvarez (6yrs/$115mil) you need to jump at it. A contract like this buys him out of arbitration and gets him till his age 30 season. If he continues to put up these numbers or build upon them, a contract with those terms will be a bargain for the Tigers.

II. The Tigers need to add another bat at one of 1b, 3b, or RF

It goes without saying that Torkelson had a rough season at 1b leaving room for improvement. Also, Carpenter is likely a DH and Perez should move to more of a utility role. Meaning that 1b and RF are the most likely spots to improve. On top of this, 3b was also a bit of a rotating door. In my opinion, Matt Vierling and Jace Jung make a decent 3b pairing, however, it is not the type of pairing that does not leave room for improvement. As such, these are potential upgrades depending on how much the Tigers would like to spend.

1. High Dollar - Alex Bregman (6ys/160mil)

I think Juan Soto is entirely out of play for the Tigers. I have a good feeling that the Dodgers, Mets, and Yankees will get involved and outbid the Tigers. The last thing I would want Detroit to do is tie up too much money into one player, and not have the ability to keep the rest of the core intact. I would also be shocked if Pete Alonso was also in play, I have a good feeling the Mets will also bring him back regardless of Soto.

The high dollar solution to this problem is to grab Alex Bregman. Bregman may not be the MVP candidate that he was 4-5 years ago, but he still is an all-star caliber 3b (he had 4.1 bWAR last year). With that said, as he approaches 30, I think he carries traits that will hold up over time instead of heavily regress. Even though he had a down year at the plate by his standards this year, he was still in the 98th percentile in whiff%, 94th percentile in k%, and 82% in chase percentage. No matter how he performs year to year, he has always controlled the strike zone throughout his career. This means that, even after he loses bat speed, there is a pretty good chance that he will still carry significant value at the plate.

Add in the ties to AJ Hinch, and I really like this deal if it comes in near or around the projected price.

1. Medium - Christian Walker (3yr/$60mil)

First base makes a lot of sense to upgrade, due to Specer Torkelson’s growing pains. Walker will be a bit on the expensive side, but for good reason. Over the past few seasons he has shown he is not just a capable bat, but also a capable defender. I would say on paper this signing makes more sense for the Tigers, but I believe this price could get high depending on how long Walker stays on the market. I think there is also some concern about how he was given a Qualifying offer, and I think that this may be a reason the Tigers could stay away from him.

1. Bargain Shopping - Paul Goldschmidt (2yr/$25 mil)

Goldschmidt may come cheaper, but he is also older and could extend his struggles at the plate. You are making this signing knowing that Goldschmidt is no longer the Paul Goldschmidt of old, and is likely just a piece that adds some depth to your line up. That said, at a projected price of $12.5 million a year, the upside with leadership and potential ability left in the tank is high enough to take a chance and see what it there. Is the upside high enough to unseat Torkelson? I think that depends on your view on him. That said, I certainly wouldn’t mind taking a flier.

1. Other names to keep in mind

Tyler O’Neill could be interesting if the Red Sox do not resign him. As could Yoan Moncada or Randal Grichuk if we are looking at lower priced free agents.

1. The Tigers need to sign a quality Starting Pitcher

I think the Tigers should sign Walker Buehler at around the projected 3ys/$36mil. As much as Flaherty makes sense (and he should be an option) I think given his performance he will be more expensive than Buehler. Even though Buehler has had recent injury problems, and has not been the dominant ace that he was in 2021 in a while, he seems like a prime candidate to get the Chris Fetter treatment. Buehler historically does not walk a lot of guys and gets decent k’s and has the ability to get ground balls. If Fetter can get him back to his swing and miss stuff, much like he did with Flaherty, I think he could win a Cy Young in Detroit.

1. Final Thoughts

I think this would be my general idea of an offseason strategy. I could also see a trade for pitching or an impact bat. If that happens I wouldn’t be shocked if Manning and Jung were at the center of that deal. I would love to know what you guys think.