Who Returns from 2025 Detroit Tigers Offense?

Who Returns from 2025 Detroit Tigers Offense?

What will the 2026 Detroit Tigers offense look like? We ask that question today on Locked on Tigers. You are Locked on Tigers, your daily Detroit Tigers podcast, part of the Locked On Network, your team every day. What is up everybody? Welcome back to another edition of Locked On Tigers. I’m of course your host, Scott Bentley. Today is Tuesday, October 28th, 2025. Thank you so much for making Lockdown Tigers your first listen. Every single day we are free and available wherever you get your podcasts, including YouTube, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network your team every single day. Today’s episode is brought to you by Game Time. Download the Game Time app, create an account, and use code lockdown MLB for $20 off of your first purchase. Welcome in everybody. Welcome all. Hope you all all are having a fantastic Tuesday. Today we do a conversation we do every year. And this is always one of my favorite episodes when the fall comes around, you know, and I’ll be honest with you, usually we do this episode for those who have listened for multiple years when the season is actually still going on. And the reason why I like to do that, it’s almost always in, you know, mid or even late September, is it kind of gives people a decent idea of who is maybe on the outs, who is fighting for their job next year, etc., while there are still games to be played. Now, this year was different because there was just so much happening in the month of September that I genuinely didn’t feel like it was right to be like, “Hey, let’s talk about 2026 while the team is collapsing in front of our eyes.” I I I couldn’t imagine that that would have gone over very well. And I it honestly it felt dirty to me, too, which is why we didn’t do it. Um, but now we’ll do it today. And that is just talking straight up about what the 2026 Tigers lineup will feature. That also, that was worded terribly, the 2026 lineup, who from the 2025 lineup will be back in the spring for Detroit. So, we’re literally just going to go position by position as we always do. Like I said, we do this every year. And I I think it’s kind of a fun exercise as again World Series I’m recording this right before game three. Excited for that. Uh before the World Series ends in the offseason kind of starts picking up quickly. So let’s start with the catcher position. I don’t think there’s any change here and I don’t think it’s really needed. I I also want to preface this whole conversation with this. This is what I think will happen. Okay, this is a a don’t get mad and point your finger at the messenger moment for some of these conversations. Okay, this is not my my ideal scenario or what I would do or what I love. This is what I think 2026 is going to look like. Okay, back to your regularly scheduled programming. Catcher, I think it’s Dingler and Rogers. I have no issue with this one. This is what probably I would do as well. Um I I guess in a perfect world you get someone who’s a better offensive threat than Jake Rogers, but he actually hit pretty decently in the last six weeksish of the season. Um but the biggest thing here is Dylan Dingler is really good and Jake Rogers is good defensively. And out of a backup catcher, I feel like sometimes we watch our own team so much that we forget what 29 other teams look like. Nobody has like two prolific hitting catchers. Well, I shouldn’t say nobody. There there’s like I guess two or maybe three teams that come to mind. The Tigers as a whole in 2025 had the fifth most war out of the catcher position. That’s a massive win for an organization that just a couple of years ago was doing a revolving door of like minor league contract guys and depth guys and one-year major league contract type of players. Now they have multiple catchers who again I you know now that Dingler’s here I don’t really need Jake Rogers starting every day considering he he has a hard time hitting 200 but I’m totally okay with him catching once or twice a week a and providing good defense behind the dish and obviously again Dylan Dingler was arguably the second best player on this entire roster this year. So I don’t think catcher looks too much different. I think all the only maybe thing they address is they sign some minor league catching depth uh which they have done every year of the Scott Harris era just to ensure that if one or both of those guys were to get hurt that they have some sort of semblance of you know close to if not just straight up major league talent that they can put behind the plate. First base Spencer Tolson. I I think he’s back. I don’t think this is too long of a conversation either to be completely honest with you. Um he is not a perfect player. Okay, that there is is plenty with Torlson that I I we will talk about. We haven’t done Toklson’s like deep dive yet. There’s plenty that I’m going to highlight and address and plenty of areas of improvement that I would still really like to see from him before I declare him like the first baseman. guaranteed for the next like 10 years or whatever, right? But ultimately, he had the fourth most home runs out of any first baseman in Major League Baseball. I should say and clarify this is from the first base position, not all people who played first base or even all people who primarily played first base. This is literally the amount of home runs while the person hitting was the first baseman in that baseball game. So, Antolson was like two or three home runs. He he was technically the DH or a pinch hitter and and so he whatever. Yeah. Either way, you you get the sentiment. Not going to be too far off in terms of numbers. Um top five home run hitter out of first baseman in baseball and the second highest in the American League. The Tigers were 11th in first base war production. A lot of that has to do with a the defense is still a lot left on the table for Torque and B I mean he got definitely had cold stretches throughout the year, right? Like this is a guy who had over 30 home runs on the season and yet finished with comfortably a sub 800 OPS and like that that means you’re not hitting for average very well. Um he walked a decent amount. I I won’t get on him about that because he he have he has really consistently had pretty decent walk numbers. But this is really getting off track here trying to focus on why he comes back in 2026. Um I I I just barring a large trade. I again like I I would like to see him better defensively. I would like to see him hit better against right-handed pitching. I would like to see him hit better with runners in scoring position among honestly like many other things. But I I just given the the production and what this lineup needs, which is a right-handed hitting power threat, I have a hard time believing they’re going to get rid of maybe their only one of those, regardless of all the flaws and what you think of him as an overall player. So, um I’m not saying he should be like the three hitter for the next 10 years or that he’s lived up to the one, okay? Like I I feel like that that that always just comes up anytime you say anything positive or negative about him. It’s just so controversial. I I’m just saying in 2026, he will almost certainly be the Tigers first baseman on opening day barring injury. And you have the positional depth outside of him where if he I mean struggles so much where he’s sent down again or whatever gets hurt like you have other players that have first base experience on the roster. So I don’t I don’t expect them to really address first base in any capacity this winter. Let’s get to some more interesting conversations that are not just nothing’s going to change lol which is kind of what these first two have been. We will do that right after this. First though, got to talk to you all about our friends over at Game Time. The NFL season is back and honestly, there’s nothing better than being in the stadium surrounded by fans cheering on your team. But let’s be honest, getting tickets can be a hassle between cues, login screens, prices, jumping at checkout. It is really frustrating sometimes. And that’s why I use Game Time, the app that gives the advantage back to the fans. Game Time is fast. It’s easy and it’s backed by the game time guarantee, so you’ll always get 100% authentic tickets delivered on time and at the best price. Plus, all fees are included. So, the price you see is actually the price you pay. I pulled up Game Time and in just a few taps, I saw amazing deals. I’m talking about your favorite NFL games for as low as $100. The app is super simple. I could even see the exact view of my seat before I bought my tickets. There’s so many other great features as well. So download the Game Time app, create an account, use code lockdown MLB for $20 off of your first purchase. Terms apply. Again, that’s promo code LC K D O N M LB for $20 off. Swipe, tap, ticket, go. Download Game Time today. All right, everybody. Welcome back here. Segment two, Locked On Tigers. Appreciate you all for tuning in as always, making us your first listen every single day. shots of that every day that do tune in every day. And we will of course be back tomorrow where we have this barring any big news. Same conversation we’re having today, but in regards to the pitching staff, which I think will be a uh yeah, an interesting conversation to say the least, especially when we get into the bullpen. Today though, we talk about the offense. Second base, I think on opening day is just Colt Keith. I don’t expect them to do anything crazy here. This is a big change relatively from 2025 just because Glabber was, you know, penciled in as the everyday second baseman this whole season. Very solid player. Glabber Torres had a fantastic first half, the hernia in the second half. We we’ve talked about that a lot. I don’t believe Gabber Torres is back next year. I think that he wants three or four even five years. And I mean, he’s been talking since like 2022 or 2023 about wanting a $100 million deal. Maybe he earned that. And, you know, maybe another team will give him that. He had an incredible on base percentage season. Um, has really changed completely his approach from what he was in 2019 when he first came up through the Yankee system. Um, I just don’t think the Tigers are going to make him a priority, especially not for that high of a price tag. So, I expect him to be gone. Do they bring in another player to play second base and Colt Keith is kind of in a similar role he was this year where he’s like platooning and playing some third and and whatnot. Look, I I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. I I think they extended him before he made his major league debut for a reason. I think they believe in him and there’s a lot of stuff he needs to improve on. He needs to improve and and really just prove period that he belongs defensively at second base every day at the major league level. Um we saw improvements throughout the 2024 season. Like by the end of the 2024 season, his defense was a little bit better than it was certainly at the beginning of the 2024 season there. Um but then he got completely moved off the position. So, like, who knows where that stands as far as consistency goes. At the plate, I mean, it was it was an a roller coaster of a year to say the least for Keith. He was terrible against left-handed pitching. Like, like 400 OPS terrible against left-handed pitching. Um, I saw way too much out of Colt Keith as a prospect for me to be pleased with him turning into a below average defensive platoon hitter. That is just not what I saw tearing it up through the system. We have to remember how highly regarded this dude was when he was a prospect. That is just not the player I saw. and he’s still young and he still has time to improve. And I think that that is what they give him. And if it doesn’t work in 2026, then they probably pull the plug on it. Maybe they even pull the plug on it before the end of the 2026 season if it’s going really poorly. But I think that they have invested enough in him where they are going to put him at second base and say, “You’re the everyday second baseman. Let’s see what happens.” and whether he sinks or swims in the 2026 season will determine the future of him in the position. Now, maybe I’m totally off base and the organization just doesn’t believe in him and he’s, you know, they’re going to go sign a second baseman and Colt Keith’s, you know, barely going to play this year. Um, but that that that’s kind of how I view that unfolding shortstop. I guess next technically in order would be third, but I’m going in order of optics rather than scorekeeping. Shortstop. This is the first one that there’s actually a pretty big discrepancy maybe between what I think is going to happen and what I would like to happen. Um, I think that shortstop is just going to be Zach McKinstry and Jav Bayz in 2026. And I I really hope I’m wrong about that. I hope that they go out and they address shortstop a little bit more aggressively. The Tigers were the 30th team out of 30 obviously in all of baseball in 2024. So two seasons ago in shortstop production. Okay, they they finished dead last in war acquired from shortstops. In 2025 that number did go up to 24th in baseball. Bayz had a a I’m so tired of calling it like a good season. It was not a good season. He he he had, you know, a six whatever OPS. His OPS in the second half was 550 or 540. Like I I just I look at what him and what McKinstry did after the All-Star break and I think, well, which one is the outlier? Which half is more likely to be the outlier? Like statistically speaking, Jav hasn’t put up numbers that he did in the first half of 2025 as a Tiger really. I guess maybe the first couple of months in 2022 when they signed him or the first year that they signed him. And McKinstry literally has never done what he did in the first half in his entire major league career for any stretch of time. So I I just I am more inclined to believe that the first half was was more of the outlier than the second half in the case of these two. Now they both bring solid defense and they’re both oppositehandedness of each other which is why ultimately I think the Tigers will just stand pat it short. Um but yeah, McKinstry’s OPS second half just under 660. Jav’s again like 540 550. I think the team looks at this as Jav still has a lot of money on the books. He still has a contract remaining. We’re not just going to pay him that lump sum and and tell him to walk, especially not after we can just tell everybody that he was an all-star this year. And B is the splits. They have no fear platooning a position. Zack McKinstry serviceable okay against right-handed pitching. Jav Bayz actually had a pretty darn good season offensively against left-handed pitching. Like from start to finish, they were 24th in F4 in out of shortstop in 2025. However, Trey Sweeney also had an entire negative one war to attribute to that. So, if you take that away, you’re actually about 20th in in baseball. you can squeak out of the bottom 10 in terms of production from that position. It’s still not great. It’s still something that I would prefer they address because I’m honestly like I I I do not feel good about another year older of Javi and then Zack McKinstry again just being the platoon at shortstop and calling it a day. Um but based on all of those reasons, that’s what I think the team’s going to do. third base. First time I will say I think they go out of the organization and we have all winter to debate and discuss and find out if that’s true or who it could be. Um but I I I do not think that the opening day starter at third is in the organization. Now obviously McGonagal is going to play a factor here and he could play a factor at short as well. If they are confident enough in in his defense he could be at shortstop and then McKinstry and Jav can platoon at third base right and vice versa. So have a little bit of um I don’t know nuance you know in that conversation in regards to what McGonagal’s role is. But I I every day that goes by, I’m a little bit more and more convinced that third base or short, just wherever McGonagal, you know, they think he’s going to play is is more likely to just be either him or a free agent at the position. And if they swing and miss on a free agent, they go after Bregman or somebody else and they don’t get him, then they’re just going to throw McGonagle there. um for the sake of the patience that this front office has shown when it comes to player development and for wanting a right-handed hitter in the lineup. McGonagle obviously another lefty I I’ll slightly lean towards free agent being, you know, an external player whether maybe trade whatever whatever you think is is more likely to be the third baseman on opening day. I I guess maybe they like band-aid, you know, a one-year deal just to kind of ease McGonagal into it. They find a righty on a one-year deal they like, but I I I really think that outside help is needed for this organization. There’s a clear need for offense. And when you’re looking around the diamond, we’ve already covered, what is this? Catcher first, second, short. We’ve already covered four o of the eight, you know, pos, I guess, dh four of the the nine positions and so far it’s all just returning people that were already here. You need to find somewhere to add a bat. And I think you have the perfect excuse to do that at third base. So, that’s what I’m banking on and that’s why I’m leaning toward an outside external addition for the hot corner for the Tigers in 2026. Let’s talk outfield and DH. We’ll do that right after this. All right, everybody. Welcome back here. Third and final segment. Lockdown Tigers. Appreciate you all for tuning in as always. Left field Riley Green. I I know people are frustrated with Riley Green and and are frustrated with the second half and the strikeouts and the swing and miss. I get all of that. And again, I I cannot reiterate enough. This is simply just will he be on the team next year. This is not like do we build around him? Is he going to be an MVP superstar? Should he bat two or three in the lineup? This is just will he be playing left field on opening day? And I think undoubtedly the answer to that is yes. Ultimately, this was his age 24 season and he hit 36 home runs and was seventh in all of baseball in runs batted in. Seventh most RBI in the league. Um, so he he’s going to be back there. There’s a ton of things I hope Riley Green improves on and there’s a ton of things we will talk about throughout the course of the winter in that regard. Um, but from a simple again just will he be here or will he not perspective, I don’t even think there’s too much else to talk about. Yes, he he very obviously will. Center field. Talked about this a few times, so we don’t have to go super indepth on this one. Again, I’ve kind of said my piece on center field already just because it’s been the topic of conversation over the last week or so. Um I I I really do think the most likely scenario is they try Meadows, see what happens the first couple of months. If he hits, then that’s your center fielder in 2026. If he doesn’t hit, then they call Clark up in June and he’s your center fielder the rest of the way getting at bats. Um I I I don’t think they’re going to with the expectation and the resources kind of invested in Max Clark. I don’t think they’re going to go out and get like a bigname multi-year free agent in center field. Um, and I I also think that they want to see if Meadows can like survive in a full Major League Baseball season, which he has yet to show us just because he hasn’t been on the field for a full Major League Baseball season. Right field, I’m going to go free agent again. And I think that this one I might be wrong about, but I’m kind of going out on a limb a little bit here. We we’ll talk about Carpenter and and Windal Perez here in a second because obviously they factor into this mix, but I I really do think that this is another spot to add. Uh right field, you don’t need elite defense necessarily if you’re getting good offensive production. Um there’s also no clear like you must have this person play, you know, right field really in the organization. Um again, this is like an all-encompassing all-around player perspective. Carpenter you obviously want in the lineup. Um, but I I we’ll again we’ll talk about him in two seconds when we talk about designated hitter. I I just I I feel like you have the flexibility with those guys and with the right field and DH positions to go out and sign a a bat that stabilizes your lineup a little bit more. And that again I you are looking for any opportunity you can to improve this lineup from last year from 2025 to 2026, right? It needs it. We saw in the second half that it needs it. It you you just need more talent there. And you can’t just obviously nothing’s going to change if you just look top to bottom. You go, “Oh, well they’re all pretty young or under contract for a long time, so I guess we just won’t do anything.” You got to find holes and you got to find creative ways to add players to this lineup. And I think right field is kind of another perfect opportunity to do that. There’s also more corner outfielders than any other offensive position, right? Like they’re they’re they’re everywhere. They’re easy to find. And I think that this also gives you another opportunity to add a right-handed hitting guy and and I mean right field a traditionally powerful position like there’s some guys out there whether it’s long-term or short term that you can go out there and maybe get in that capacity. So I I think right field’s another opportunity for them to add. DH is where we go back to players that are already here. I really do think that they’re going to roll in. This is even assuming that they bring in another outfielder, another right fielder to play or to add to this lineup. Um I I think if that happens then DH is almost assuredly a Carrie Carpenter/winsil Perez platoon kind of platoon just mishmash together. Um Carpenter isn’t awful defensively and ultimately if on opening day they put him in right field, I’m not going to be stunned. I I think that’s there’s still a pretty decent and likely chance that that happens. Um, but he still isn’t great defensively and I I don’t need him in the field. I I just I feel like there’s a lot of questions here between both of these players to justify in my head at least wanting to get a little bit more stability in the field. Um, like we don’t really know if Carrie Carpenter is going to hit lefties for 162 games. We don’t really know uh if he’s ever going to be good enough uh you know defensively for that as well. Uh he also hit 163 with runners in scoring position and had like an OPS of like 600. Like I understand the frustration with Tolson and Green and I I think that it’s justified. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to like jump in the way of criticism being thrown their way, but like Carpenter has comfortably worse risks stats than both of those guys in 2025. So, um, and then on top of all of that, even from a from outside of a production standpoint, Carrie Carpenter has missed legitimate time in literally every single one of his MLB seasons. All of them. Every single one. He’s had an injury to sideline him for at least four weeks and in a couple of those seasons much longer than four weeks. Winsel Perez hit lefties way better this year. Didn’t hit lefties well at all his first year. Um struggled mightily down the stretch as well against everything. No matter what was on the mound, he he was struggling. So I’m not sure there’s confidence that he’s a a guy guaranteed that you need in right field every day or corner outfield every day long term. Um, so we know that we want Carrie Carpenters in bat in the lineup. We know that, okay? Especially if a righty is on the mound, we want Carrie Carpenter in the lineup. I’m not saying you don’t want these players. I’m just saying maybe you don’t need Carrie Carpenter in right field 162 times. Um, so I I I yeah, like you know, you want his bat in the lineup. you know that they want to give Winil Perez opportunities when applicable, but I’m I’m not sure that either is a guarantee for 162. So I Yeah, I mean that that’s kind of I I guess all of the the starting positions in the lineup. Then I I think I have one spot remaining on my bench there that I haven’t already mentioned or didn’t sign to another assign to another position and that’s Matt Beerling. uh, you know, hopefully is back and healthy. Um, can play all over the field, gives you depth at third base, gives you depth at center field, also is a right-handed hitter, something that this team again wants to add. They already wanted to add it when they had Glabber. If they lose him, then they’re going to want to add one of those even more. So, if he’s healthy, he’s going to play consistently and kind of all over the diamond as well. So, now you hear all that, you ask yourself, is that enough? Again, this is not like my dream scenario or what I’d want to do. This is what I think is going to happen this off seasonason. You have the return of Matt Beerling. You have two potential spots for free agents. And you have the possible addition of McGonagal and Clark. That’s a decent amount of additions depending on who the free agents you add are. But that’s a big if. That’s a big caveat in that. Okay, I can’t wait to be totally wrong about all of this and I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Thanks for making Lockdown Tigers your first listen every single day. Shout out to the everydayers that do tune in every day. We’ll be back tomorrow talking about this same conversation but on the pitching side of things. Peace and love going to Theres dope. And I’ll catch you all tomorrow, baby. Go Tigers.

Today we discuss the 2026 Detroit Tigers and what players will or won’t be back after 2025. We talk Torkelson, Greene, Torres, Javy Baez, and more!

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