2025 MLB Season Preview: Detroit Tigers
03/13/2025 07:30 AM
The upstart Tigers are in a good spot to improve on their breakout 2024 season.
Following four consecutive American League Central division crowns from 2011-14, the Tigers and their fans experienced little more than misery for nearly a decade, finishing above .500 just once in that stretch. The tide mercifully changed in 2024 though, armed with an exciting young core and powered by a red hot finish, the Tigers returned to the postseason for the first time since 2014.
Looking ahead, it is not exactly a complete roster, but you can argue that it's a solid one, and certainly one of interest. With a couple of key additions now in the fold, and their young core still intact and perhaps even ready for a greater step forward, things could be looking up in the Motor City.
2024 record: 86-76 (3rd, AL Central)
2025 FanGraphs projection: 82-80 (2nd, AL Central)
As mentioned, it took a strong push at the end for the Tigers to break their drought in 2024, and they needed every bit of it. After a loss on September 6th, they were an even .500 (71-71), but answered by winning 15 of their final 20 games, marching into the American League's final playoff spot. They stayed hot and won the abbreviated Wild Card Series against the Astros, and even took the Guardians to five games in the Division Series before finally being knocked out.
All told, it was a much needed success in Detroit — for the first time in a while, things were looking up. At the heart of this upstart squad is a core of supremely talented and young players, a group that truly began to appear during the 2024 season.
Headlining this group is their sensational lefty at the top of the rotation, Tarik Skubal. His swing-and-miss prowess was evident from the beginning, and his breakout really began during his shortened 2023 campaign. But last season, he lit the American League on fire. Across 192 innings, he racked up a league-high 228 Ks, while also maintaining the AL's lowest ERA and FIP (2.38 and 2.72, respectively). With plenty of bold ink on the stats page, he was the unanimous choice for the AL Cy Young Award, and at 28 years old has firmly established himself in the conversation as the best pitcher in the sport.
Following the reigning Cy Young in the rotation is Jack Flaherty, who they actually traded away at last year's deadline, but re-signed this offseason to a two-year deal. He is coming off a year in which he tossed over 160 very good innings, the bulk (and better) of which came with the Tigers. Elsewhere is another '24 breakout in Reese Olson, who will look to impress with a larger workload, the ever-questionable Casey Mize, and a 37-year-old Kenta Maeda. They do also have Alex Cobb and José Urquidy, who will begin 2025 on the shelf.
The lineup is headlined by Riley Greene, who shined bright in his first full season last year. He was a four-win player, topping 20 homers with a 135 wRC+ across 137 games in 2024, earning his first All-Star nod, and he projects to continue at that star-level of production. He was one of just three Tigers with over 300 plate appearances and a 100 wRC+ or better last season, with neither of the other two returning.
They did get some help from the outside by signing the Yankees' old friend Gleyber Torres, and a full season of Kerry Carpenter, who had a whopping 160 wRC+ in 87 games last season, can only stand to help the lineup. There are also a couple of graduated prospects in Colt Keith and Spencer Torkelson, who could provide a huge boost with a step forward.
One of the major points of hope for this Tigers squad, beyond just the talent on the squad, is the competitiveness of the AL Central. There are four teams who have a very realistic shot at making the playoffs, of which the Tigers rank second in FanGraphs' playoff odds. It will be a competitive division, but also one that is very up for grabs, with no team standing out above the field. It was an exciting 2024 for the Tigers, and they have some hope for an even better '25.
