Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Detroit Tigers fans are growing increasingly frustrated with the team's performance and are calling for significant changes before the All-Star Break.
- The Tigers, preseason favorites to challenge the Cleveland Guardians, sit nine games back in fourth place with a 35-49 record.
- Three underperforming players are at the center of fan frustration, highlighting the need for a potential roster overhaul.
The Detroit Tigers are among the biggest disappointments in MLB this season, as they carry a 35-49 record into the penultimate week of June.
The Tigers were the preseason favorites to unseat the two-time defending division champion Cleveland Guardians in the American League Central. Instead, they've been hampered by injuries —especially to two-time reigning AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal — and underperformance up and down the roster.
That leaves Detroit in fourth place in the AL Central, nine games behind the first-place Chicago White Sox, with just over a month remaining until the trade deadline. At this point, the Tigers look more like they will be sellers this summer, which would make Skubal the most fascinating player on the market.
Tigers fans certainly want Skubal to stay, though there is no indication that owner Chris Ilitch would be to match top offers in free agency for the 29-year-old left-hander. Beyond him, though, there are plenty of other players that fans would be happy to see motor out of the Motor City amid a miserable season.
RHP Jack Flaherty
The right-hander is a prime example of why teams are often skittish to include player options in contracts.
Flaherty had a bad season in 2025, when he led the AL in losses while going 8-15 with a 4.64 ERA in 31 starts. The veteran wisely exercised his $10 million option for 2026 rather than test free agency. But Flaherty is having an even worse season in 2026, as he leads the AL in losses again with an 1-8 record and 4.97 ERA through 16 starts.
In 2019, Flaherty finished fourth in the National League Cy Young balloting as a 23-year-old with the St. Louis Cardinals. He appeared on his way to stardom, but hasn’t received a Cy Young vote since then. At this point, he's almost impossible for a would-be contender to rely on.
RHP Kenley Jansen
Jansen has secured his place in baseball history through the body of work over his 17-year career. He ranks third on MLB’s all-time saves list with 485, trailing just Mariano Rivera (652) and Trevor Hoffman (601).
However, Jansen hasn’t done much to burnish his Hall of Fame credentials in his first and almost certainly only season with the Tigers. Jansen’s 5.31 ERA through 23 games is easily the worst of his career, and he has a 1-4 record while having blown four saves.
Jansen is on his fifth team in six seasons since the Los Angeles Dodgers opted to allow him to leave as a free agent in 2021. Based on the way he has pitched this year, it’s fair to wonder if the charismatic closer has reached the end of the line.
1B Spencer Torkelson
Torkelson hit 31 home runs in both 2023 and 2025 for the Tigers but hasn’t lived up to being the first overall selection in the 2020 draft. He has been the tiniest bit above MLB average as a hitter with a 101 OPS+ in five season and 599 games, not good enough considering his lack of value in other facets of the game.
Torkelson has 13 homers in 83 games this season to go with a .213/.313/.419 slash line. He is having a bad year defensively with minus-8 defensive runs saved in 81 games at first base. The 26-year-old Torkelson hasn’t emerged as the cornerstone player the Tigers had hoped. A change of scenery might be good for both sides.
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