Despite having a prime opportunity to bolster their 2025 World Series push, the Detroit Tigers were one of the biggest losers of the trade deadline. Armed with one of baseball's top farm systems, president of baseball operations Scott Harris could've pushed his chips all in. Instead, he chose to operate around the margins, which can be seen as a vote of confidence after a dominant first half of the season.
However, Harris' lack of splash moves might also be a mistake, considering the Tigers have been hovering around .500 since June 1. In other words, this group can used a shot in the arm. Some of their weaknesses have been exposed, and Detroit's top decision-maker had a chance to address them; now it's too late. Hindsight is always, but he may regret not making more assertive upgrades come October if the club falls short of its ultimate goal.
Loaded with assets and a roster that has displayed a championship ceiling, making or bypassing the additions mentioned below will torment Harris. His approach was logical, targeting areas of need, but his execution left much to be desired. He also completely ignored one facet of the game that the Tigers could use some help in, so let's discuss.
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3. Taking a flier on Merrill Kelly instead of Chris Paddack and Charlie Morton would've been better for Detroit
Merrill Kelly was the best starting pitcher who ended up getting rerouted. Yet, the Arizona Diamondbacks didn't get a top 100 prospect for him in their swap with the Texas Rangers. Why couldn't the Tigers outbid them rather than acquiring two functional, albeit less-talented, hurlers in Chris Paddack and Charlie Morton?
The Tigers were two-thirds of the way to meeting Arizona's demands for Kelly. They sent the No. 14-ranked player in their pipeline, catcher/first baseman Enrique Jimenez, to the Minnesota Twins for Paddack. Moreover, Detroit gave up minor league southpaw Micah Ashman to pry Morton from the Baltimore Orioles. Giving up one more middling bargaining chip possibly lands Harris a more reliable arm in Kelly to counteract Reese Olson's season-ending right shoulder strain.
2. The Tigers should've had the Eugenio Suárez reunion story, not the Mariners
Eugenio Suárez was the crown jewel of the July 31 cutoff point to strike a deal with rival front offices. An extensive bidding war resulted in the Seattle Mariners winning the sweepstakes for his services. Perplexingly, the Diamondbacks didn't fetch a blue-chipper for him. With that in mind, the Tigers had no reason not to swoop and steal the reunion parade from the American League counterpart.
If the D-backs were asking for any of Max Clark, Kevin McGonigle, Josue Briceño or Bryce Rainer, you can understand why the Tigers balked. Suárez is on an expiring contract, making paying a premium for a rental difficult to justify. But it seems like Detroit had a chance to scrounge together a compelling enough offer to keep them out of discussions. Harris has an embarrassment of riches and should've tried making a waygu steak out of a pu pu platter for the Mariners.
1. Failing to add a dynamic reliever will haunt the Tigers
Detroit bullpen ranks 19th in ERA and strikeouts and 21st in batting average against. It's been their Achilles heel for much of the campaign, and they failed to adequately remedy the situation. They tried, adding relievers Kyle Finnegan, Paul Sewald, Rafael Montero and Codi Heuer. But can the Tigers trust them in the postseason?
Finnegan is a proven, reliable option, but he isn't the swing-and-miss guy the Tigers were reportedly seeking. Perhaps Detroit's betting on Sewald and Montero filling that void, though their best days are ostensibly behind them. Rookie Troy Melton generates whiffs and is shifting to the bullpen with Morton's arrival, which Harris sounds excited about. Heuer has struggled this season after not pitching in the big leagues since 2021, which tells you all you need to know.
Just about every reliever in the Majors changed teams, including some high-end ones, like David Bednar, Ryan Helsley, Jhoan Duran, Mason Miller and Griffin Jax. Alas, Harris chose to shop in the clearance aisle.