The 2026 season didn't play out nearly as the Detroit Tigers had planned, but even with Tarik Skubal gone, this team is closer to meaningful contention than most people probably think. New AL Rookie of the Year Kevin McGonigle is an MVP candidate in the making, Max Clark headlines a group of young position players ready to break in and the rotation features tons of intriguing arms (Troy Melton, Keider Montero, Jackson Jobe, River Ryan, Reese Olson) ready to bust out. In an always wide-open AL Central, a smart addition or two could have Detroit very much in the mix.
And yet, the most noteworthy rumor around the team at this week's GM Meetings is ... potentially trading their best hitter?
Tigers OF Riley Greene has been mentioned as a trade candidate by industry execs here at the GM meetings.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 11, 2026
Here’s the response from Scott Harris when I asked him about the possibility today on @MLBNetwork. pic.twitter.com/6EFbILePel
At least, that's the case according to MLB Network's Jon Morosi, who reported earlier in the week that Tigers outfielder Riley Greene has been floated as a potential trade candidate by sources around the league.
For what it's worth, Scott Harris poured cold water on the idea when approached by Morosi in Vegas, saying Detroit is "focused on Riley being a big part of the middle of our order". But he also didn't close the door entirely, adding that "obviously on the trade front we gotta listen to everything," and the longer Greene goes without a contract extension, the more it'll feel like Harris is running back the playbook that just blew up in his face with Skubal.
Giving up on Riley Greene would be a disaster for the Tigers
Greene is coming off of his best season as a pro, hitting .280/.370/.474 (135 OPS+) with 21 homers and earning his third straight All-Star nod. He posted a career-low K rate and a career-high walk rate, and while that increased plate discipline did sap a little of his power, the result was still one of the better young hitters in all of baseball.
Given where the Tigers are right now, that should absolutely not be a player they're remotely considering trading. And who knows, maybe Morosi got some bad intel. But the fact that Greene's name has consistently come up in conversations with teams around the league suggests that at least some executives are interested, and they're not being told a hard no.
Which, to be clear, is organizational malpractice. With Javy Baez's deal finally expiring after 2027, all Detroit has on the books moving forward is Framber Valdez's player option for 2028 and below-market extensions for McGonigle and Colt Keith (which combine to cost just over $20 million a year). There is, or at least there should be, a ton of money in the coffers for Chris Ilitch, and with all the young talent they have in the organization right now, they should be building aggressively — not already thinking about selling high on their franchise player.
But speculation will only increase the longer that Greene languishes without a long-term deal. Who knows how much of the 2027 season will get zapped by a lockout? Before you know it, Greene will be entering his contract year, at which point the Tigers will be one slow start away from being forced to trade away another star in the span of just three seasons.
Given their long-term financial outlook and what Greene has shown ahead of his age-27 season — this is your reminder that he just turned 26 in September — there is literally zero reason for the Tigers not to pay him as soon as possible. Of course, that was also true of Skubal, and we know how that turned out.
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