Scott Harris: Tigers Will Keep Adding Arms as Winter Meetings Begin
As the Detroit Tigers opened the MLB Winter Meetings in Orlando, the first notable roster move came quietly with the signing of right-hander Drew Anderson to a one-year deal. While far from a headline-grabbing addition, the move fit directly into the roster-building philosophy outlined by president of baseball operations Scott Harris earlier in the day.
Harris acknowledged that Detroit’s search for starting pitching remains ongoing, though the approach may look different than in past winters.
“It’s harder now, given the makeup of our rotation,” Harris said. “That starting pitching may have to be optionable. We may have to find non-roster options, things like that. But yeah, we’re going to keep adding.”
The Tigers enter the offseason with a young, internally driven rotation core that limits traditional free-agent fits. That has pushed Detroit toward depth-based solutions rather than locking into guaranteed rotation spots. Anderson, who has bounced between the majors and minors over the past several seasons, fits that model as a flexible arm who can provide coverage without blocking long-term options.
Beyond pitching, Harris also offered his clearest explanation yet for how Detroit plans to sustain offensive growth without disrupting the pipeline of young hitters already impacting the roster.
“The answer is yes. Can we find those opportunities? I’m not sure. When I look at our team right now, we have a young, deep collection of position players who are in slightly different stages of their young careers,” Harris said.
Harris pointed directly to the core already producing at the major league level — Spencer Torkelson, Riley Greene, and Kerry Carpenter — while also highlighting the next layer pushing upward, including Parker Meadows, Dillon Dingler, Colt Keith, and Justyn-Henry Malloy.
“I think the majority of our growth as an offense is going to come from within,” Harris said. “It’s going to come from that first group continuing to get better. It’s going to come from that second group making the leaps that the first group just made.”
That internal trust is also reflected in Detroit’s approach to short-term veterans, most notably the one-year signing of Gleyber Torres. Harris described Torres as a fit based on skillset rather than star power.
“We’re a little bit too left-handed, so he adds a right-handed bat. We need more bat-to-ball skills. He’s one of the best bat-to-ball guys in baseball. We need more on-base skills. We need a presence at the top of our lineup,” Harris said.
Still, Harris left the door open for additional external offense if the right fit emerges.
“I wouldn’t rule out an external addition to upgrade the offense,” he said. “But I think we’ve got a lot of momentum here.”
As the Winter Meetings continue, Detroit’s path is becoming clearer. The Tigers will supplement their roster with role-specific pitching depth, protect development paths on offense, and avoid forced moves that compromise long-term flexibility. The Drew Anderson signing may not be flashy, but it underscores exactly how Harris intends to keep building.
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