Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Scott Harris faces mounting criticism as the Detroit Tigers remain stagnant in year four of his leadership.
- Key missteps include roster decisions that left the offense lacking depth and defense ranked among the worst in the league.
- The front office now races against the clock to secure the future of its star pitcher before free agency looms.
Scott Harris became known as a rising star after he built the Detroit Tigers back from obscurity into AL contention. But reaching respectability is one thing; actually getting over the hump is another, and four years into him calling the shots, the Tigers don’t seem much closer to doing so.
He can be considered lucky for the way Detroit managed to make it to the postseason in 2024 despite a trade deadline sell-off. Two straight losses in Game 5 of last season's ALDS ratcheted up the pressure considerably, with the team now on the verge of losing star pitcher Tarik Skubal in free agency this winter (if he’s not traded first). The 2026 season was supposed to be a make-or-break year for Harris, the moment when he proved his mettle as an executive. Instead, he's made his share of mistakes that have the Tigers mired at 20-25 and staring down an existential crisis.
The Tigers needed another proven, veteran bat in the lineup
Star rookie Kevin McGonigle is a distraction Tigers fans have needed this year for what has mostly been another disappointingly inconsistent season from a lineup that cost the team in last year's ALDS loss. Gleyber Torres accepted the qualifying offer and returned, only to land on the IL. Detroit is also dealing with an injury to veteran Javier Baez. Several of the young kids have played great, but they’re missing that extra oomph in the middle of the order that never came.
Alex Bregman was floated as a possible fit for the Tigers in each of the past two offseasons. McGonigle and Colt Keith have shared duties at the hot corner instead. While both have hit well (with Keith not hitting for power), we have to wonder if maybe there were other places Detroit could have actually spent money over the winter to give the offense a boost. They didn’t need a clean-up hitter who’d mash 40 home runs, just a professional swinger to avoid significant playing time from Matt Vierling, Wendeel Perez and Jahmai Jones.
Scott Harris doesn’t care about defense
Pick any stat that measures defense, and the Tigers will be found at or near the bottom. McGonigle is one of their biggest culprits, but he gets a pass given that he's a rookie asked to play shortstop everyday while hitting like an All-Star. What about everyone else, though?
Multiple players have a -2 or worse OAA already this season. It makes the job the pitchers have to do much tougher when they cannot trust the defense behind them. Last year’s club had a -1 OAA and their Runs Prevented finished at 1. That was as average as it gets, but they’re miles behind to start this year — and it’s costing them.
The Jack Flaherty signing has not worked out well
Jack Flaherty is fine if you’re adding him to be your No. 5 starter and you have some cash to burn. This isn’t the situation the Tigers are in, or at least how they’ve operated recently. The righty was meant to be a whole lot more given what he was paid and the lack of proven arms around him. Following his trade to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the middle of the 2024 season, he ended up back in Detroit and is currently stealing $35 million from them.
After a 4.64 ERA in a healthy 31-start season in 2025, he’s been even worse so far in 2026 with a 5.73 ERA. It’s not just rotten luck either: He is walking a small nation with a 6.9 BB/9. The signing of Framber Valdez could be considered a disappointment as well, but the Flaherty deal is just a bad one. Be grateful it’s over after this season.
Maybe Drew Anderson wasn’t the right flier to take
A lot of international players have come back to the States of late after some success overseas. Drew Anderson is one of them; the righty pitched to a 2.25 ERA in the KBO as a starter. The Tigers are brought him in over the offseason as a reliever, and through 15 appearances, he has a 4.67 ERA.
Is it because he should be starting instead? Probably not. This feels more like a miscalculation: With the organization briefly in 2024, the Tigers rewarded him with $7 million and a team option for $10 million next year. Based on the way things have started, Harris will rush to negate that second year of this deal. Anderson might want to buy real estate overseas; that’s where he seems to perform his best. His four shutout innings in relief during the team's win against Toronto on Friday lowered his ERA almost a full run. As promising as it was, they’re paying good money toward a long reliever.
The Tigers chose nostalgia over logic with Justin Verlander
It’s almost easy to forget that Justin Verlander is a member of the 2026 Tigers. Hammered in his lone start of the year, the 43-year-old took almost $8 million from the ball club in an attempt to beat Father Time. Last season’s 3.85 ERA matched exactly to his 3.85 FIP. A performance like that is acceptable, but every athlete over 40 has an end, and Verlander has probably reached his.
The Tigers didn’t really “waste” money on Verlander as much as they chose the wrong player to round out the roster. In what is likely the last year of Skubal in the Motor City, they needed to do more than reunite with a fan favorite.
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