American League Central Preview: Detroit Tigers

With the Royals looking to return to being competitive in the AL Central, we wanted to take a look around at the other teams in the division and what moves they made this offseason. This is a look at what to expect from the 2026 Detroit Tigers.

The Tigers finished second in the AL Central and secured a Wild Card spot, defeating the Guardians 2-1 in their opening playoff series before being eliminated by the Mariners in a five-game Division Series. This offseason brought about a series of significant moves for Detroit, as they attempt to attain October for the third straight season.

Notable Tigers Subtractions

• Chris Paddack (starting pitcher)
• Tommy Kahnle (relief pitcher)
• Alex Cobb (starting pitcher)
• Alex Lange (relief pitcher)
• Andy Ibáñez (lefty masher)
• Justyn-Henry Malloy (third baseman/outfielder)

Notable Tigers Additions

• Framber Valdez (starting pitcher)
• Justin Verlander (starting pitcher)
• Kenley Jansen (relief pitcher)
• Drew Anderson (swingman)

Looking at these transactions, it appears the additions outweigh the subtractions for the Tigers. Specifically, Framber Valdez, a playoff-caliber starter, signed a lucrative three-year deal to slot in behind two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal. Meanwhile, Tigers legend Justin Verlander returns on a one-year deal, bringing valuable experience to fortify the rotation.

Verlander will strengthen a rotation dealing with injuries, though given his age and recent track record, he could be among the injured at times. Drew Anderson is also joining as a depth rotation option, while Kenley Jansen is set to fill the primary closer and high-leverage bullpen role.

Three key players who had at least a chance of going elsewhere have also returned. Starter Jack Flaherty exercised his player option for 2026; second baseman Gleyber Torres accepted the qualifying offer of $22.025 million; and trade deadline acquisition Kyle Finnegan hit free agency but ultimately re-signed for two years.

Tigers Injuries

• Jackson Jobe - returning from Tommy John surgery
• Troy Melton - slowed by elbow inflammation in spring training; will start on 60-day IL
• Reese Olson - out for the year

Key Tigers Players

• C Dillon Dingler - 3.1 bWAR in 2025
• 1B Spencer Torkelson - 2.3 bWAR in 2025
• 2B Gleyber Torres - 2.9 bWAR in 2025
• 3B Zach McKinstry - 2.8 bWAR in 2025
• LHP Tarik Skubal - 6.5 bWAR in 2025

Skubal, embarking on a defense of two straight Cy Young Awards and trying to position himself for a historic free-agent payday, is the most obvious center of gravity for the team, but last year, the club thrived because of its balance. They ranked 11th in runs, 10th in home runs, 12th in OPS, and 16th in batting average last season. Their 61 steals, however, were last in MLB.

Top Tigers Prospects

• Kevin McGonigle - SS
• Max Clark - OF
• Josue Briceno - C/1B
• Bryce Rainer - SS
• Thayron Liranzo - C/1B

Observers are especially optimistic about Kevin McGonigle, a likely early-season call-up—if he's not on the Opening Day roster. Max Clark, taken just before Walker Jenkins in the 2023 MLB Draft, will be compared to Jenkins as their careers unfold in the AL Central.

Tigers Spring Storylines (and Beyond)

Verlander's triumphant return and Skubal's potentially imminent exit loom large, but the team is trying to establish a winning identity that will stretch beyond this year and those two players. At 25, Riley Greene is expected to continue progressing toward stardom. Emerging talents like Colt Keith, McGonigle, and Clark could shape the Tigers’ future core. When and how well Jobe returns from Tommy John surgery will be a major storyline, too.

Beyond Jansen, Finnegan and Vest line up for late innings. However, the work of the pen will be spread very evenly. A.J. Hinch has earned considerable praise for his nimble usage of an often motley relief crew. What he dubbed 'pitching chaos' during the 2024 playoffs has been an effective tack for keeping order over the last year and a half, leading to two straight overachieving seasons.

The Tigers are expected to remain competitive in the AL Central in 2026.

Projected Tigers Lineup

1. Parker Meadows - CF
2. Gleyber Torres - 2B
3. Riley Greene - LF
4. Spencer Torkelson - 1B
5. Kerry Carpenter - DH
6. Dillon Dingler - C
7. Colt Keith - 3B
8. Matt Vierling/Wenceel Pérez - RF
9. Zach McKinstry - SS

Note: Javier Báez is an option off the bench with this lineup—and could sometimes be the starting shortstop, with McKinstry shifting to third base, like he played last year.

Projected Tigers Rotation

1. Tarik Skubal - LHP
2. Framber Valdez - LHP
3. Justin Verlander - RHP
4. Jack Flaherty - RHP
5. Casey Mize - RHP

Projected Tigers Record

PECOTA: 2nd place, 83-79
Fangraphs: 1st place, 85-77

If everyone stays healthy, the Tigers are the favorite to win the Central this year. They seem to have improved overall in the offseason, and are looking for the young core group to take a step forward and see if they can get past the Division Series.