3 Detroit Tigers that shouldn't be brought back in 2025 and why after ALDS defeat

The 2024 Detroit Tigers sound like a team out of a Hollywood movie. They were underdogs coming into the season. The front office didn't believe in them and proceeded to trade away all their expiring players. But through it all, the team believed, and they snuck their way into the postseason. Detroit bounced the Houston Astros in the AL Wild Card round but unfortunately came up short against the Cleveland Guardians in the ALDS.

The 2024 season should be a testament to the front office that the Tigers are ready to win and they're ready to win now. Both the players and the coaches are. They just need the front office to believe in them as much as they believe in themselves. They just need the front office to go out and pursue difference makers in free agency.

But more importantly, the front office needs to cut the dead weight off the roster. There are players from the 2024 team that absolutely shouldn't be brought back in 2025 and dropping these three players could improve the team quite a bit.

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3 Detroit Tigers who shouldn't be brought back in 2025 and why

3. RHP Shelby Miller

This one should seem obvious for a few different reasons. The most obvious reason for why the Tigers shouldn't and most likely won't bring pitcher Shelby Miller back is because they released him just a few weeks ago. They've already made it clear that they don't see a place on the roster for Miller in 2025 and with him hitting unrestricted free agency now that the season is over, the Tigers and Miller will be parting ways for good.

Miller was one of the lone veterans to play for the Tigers this season. For the most part, their entire roster was loaded with players 28 years old or younger. But Miller, 33, didn't fit that mold, so he didn't fit with the team very well.

He also wasn't great in his time with the team. On the season, Miller made 51 appearances and posted a 4.53 ERA with a 4.48 FIP. He gave up nine home runs in 55.2 innings, good for a rate of 1.5 HR/9.

This one is obvious. The Tigers cleared him from the roster before the season could even fully come to a close. Miller could land with another team to try to turn his career back around, but it won't be with the Detroit Tigers in 2025.

2. UTL Ryan Kreidler

This list will feature two veterans. Both the veterans will make a ton of sense for why they shouldn't be brought back next year. The Tigers are building a young core of talent and having struggling 33 year olds like Shelby Miller just doesn't make the most sense. But this player isn't a veteran. He's still 26 years old.

It's the utility man Ryan Kreidler.

Kreidler, 26, has struggled in each of his three season's with the big league team. He's only appeared in 72 games, but in that span, he's slashed .147/.212/.193 with an OPS+ of 17. Now, I understand that he's young and provides some valuable defensive versatility, but the Tigers have enough talent around their infield that they don't need to roster such a struggling hitter.

This doesn't mean Kreidler's career should be over either. He's still young and he's still talented. But the Tigers have Hao-Yu Lee, Jace Jung, Gage Workman and Trey Sweeney that are all top 30 prospects and should make a difference in Detroit's infield next season. Rostering somebody that has struggled time and time again just doesn't make too much sense for an organization that's heading in the right direction.

1. SS Javier Baez

There's one player on the Tigers roster that just about every Tigers fan in the world wishes would be gone. That's Javier Baez, who's set to make $83 million over the next three seasons. Baez is one of the most overpaid players in the league and the Tigers would be better off just cutting him and eating the rest of his contract rather than let him return, take up a roster spot and be a net-negative for the team.

There's no team in the league that would take Baez's contract off the Tigers hands. The only option would be to cut him. Detroit has Trey Sweeney, who played shortstop for the team all postseason, to take Baez's place. Sweeney wasn't great, but he's a prospect and he's much younger than the veteran Baez.

Baez slashed .184/.221/.294 with an OPS+ of 46 and a WAR of -1.1 on the season. The Tigers have only been playing him because they're stuck with his contract.

I'm not sure if the Tigers will have the guts to actually cut him or not, but it would be the best idea for the team. Baez is going to get paid this money whether he's on the team or not. Detroit would be better off paying him to go away rather than pay him to hurt the team on the field.