Tigers face tough roster decisions for 2026, shaping their next competitive window by evaluating prospects and key players like Tarik Skubal.
A new year has begun, which means resolutions are everywhere. Eat better. Go to the gym. Save more money. Pretend inbox zero is attainable. For the Detroit Tigers, the resolutions are less about reinvention and more about decision-making, the kind that shapes not just 2026, but the next competitive window altogether.
Every player on the 40-man roster, along with the coaching staff and front office, enters the year with the same mission: get back to October and push deeper than they did the last time around. The guiding principles haven’t changed, control the strike zone, grind out at-bats, take things one day at a time, but how the Tigers apply those ideas is evolving. Recent comments by Scott Harris emphasizing internal growth suggest this organization has a clear list on the bulletin board. The hard part is deciding which names stay on it.
Resolution No. 1: Decide What Max Anderson and Hao-Yu Lee Really Are
At some point, the Tigers have to answer a difficult but unavoidable question: what is the long-term plan for Max Anderson and Hao-Yu Lee?
Both players project as everyday big leaguers in some form, yet both may find themselves in Toledo this season while the major league club gives Gleyber Torres a year to run out his contract. That reality creates tension. Are Anderson and Lee simply placeholders, biding time until an opening appears? Or are they currency, controllable, near-ready infielders who could help address pitching needs elsewhere in the organization?
The Tigers have built an infield surplus by design, but surplus only helps if it’s leveraged properly. Letting both players stagnate without clarity helps no one. Whether the answer is patience, positional creativity, or a trade, this resolution needs one thing above all else: decisiveness.
Resolution No. 2: Find Clarity on Tarik Skubal’s Future
Tarik Skubal’s place in Tigers history is already secure. His place in their future is not.
That isn’t a knock on Skubal, who has done everything the organization could ask of him, but a reflection of timing and reality. Elite starting pitchers don’t come cheap, and teams in Detroit’s position eventually have to choose between extending their ace, riding out the window, or capitalizing on peak value.
The Tigers don’t need to rush this decision publicly, but internally, clarity matters. Skubal represents more than just frontline production, he’s a measuring stick for where this rebuild truly stands. If the Tigers believe their competitive window is open now, his future should reflect that belief. If not, the consequences of waiting too long could be severe.
Resolution No. 3: Replace Gabe Ribas and Finish the Job with Young Arms
Replacing Gabe Ribas won’t be simple, but it’s necessary.
The Tigers have quietly drafted and developed a wave of intriguing pitching talent, many of whom are now pushing through injuries and workload management rather than pure stuff concerns. The recent wave of arms that were drafted like Malachi Witherspoon, River Hamilton and arms who rose seemly out of nowhere like Kelvis Salcedo, represent the next phase, pitchers who need refinement, durability, and a clear developmental roadmap to reach the major league level.
That requires more than velocity gains or pitch-shape tweaks. It demands a coordinator who can bridge rehab, performance, and readiness, someone who understands how to shepherd pitchers from draft day through adversity and into meaningful big league roles.
If the Tigers want their pitching pipeline to keep producing, this hire matters as much as any free-agent signing.
It's not too long before pitchers and catchers have to report in Lakeland and Tigers fans would also want a free agent signing or two but we shall see how that unfolds.
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