Dan Dickerson: Here’s what Detroit Tigers should do in MLB offseason
On “Days of Roar,” Dan Dickerson – radio voice of the Detroit Tigers – breaks down what offseason moves should be pursued to improve the roster.
LAS VEGAS — Right-handed reliever Dugan Darnell grew up in Michigan. He graduated from Northville High School and Adrian College.
He has now joined the Detroit Tigers.
The Tigers claimed Darnell off waivers Wednesday, Nov. 12, from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Right-handed reliever Alex Lange – who doesn’t have any minor-league options remaining – was designated for assignment after five seasons with the Tigers, creating space on the 40-man roster.
Darnell made his MLB debut for the Colorado Rockies in August 2025. The 28-year-old appeared in nine games, posting a 3.86 ERA with seven walks and five strikeouts across 11â…” innings.
In those nine games, Darnell threw three pitch types: four-seam fastball (52.7%), splitter (26.9%) and slider (20.4%). His fastball averaged 93.7 mph, limiting both contact and damage, but his splitter and slider didn’t miss enough bats to be effective.
Darnell landed on the injured list in late August – less than one month after his MLB debut. He suffered a torn left hip labrum that required surgery. The surgery took place Sept. 23 in Denver, with an estimated recovery of eight months.
Therefore, Darnell isn’t expected to be healthy until May 2026.
[ MUST LISTEN: Make “Days of Roar” your go-to Detroit Tigers podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify)]
Darnell also logged a 3.19 ERA for Triple-A Albuquerque in 2025, registering 19 walks and 63 strikeouts across 53â…” innings in 35 games. He recorded more than three outs in 29 of his 44 outings between the Triple-A and MLB levels.
In late October, the Pirates claimed Darnell off waivers from the Rockies, and by early November, the Pirates designated him for assignment, allowing the Tigers to claim him off waivers in mid-November.
He has all three minor-league options remaining.
Darnell didn’t become a pitcher at Adrian until his senior year, serving as a third baseman in his first three seasons.
He graduated from Adrian with a bachelor’s degree in marketing in 2019, but he didn’t sign with the Rockies until 2021 after two seasons with the Eastside Diamond Hoppers of the United Shore Professional Baseball League, located in Utica.
As for Lange, the Tigers acquired the No. 30 overall pick in the 2017 draft (and fellow right-hander Paul Richan) from the Chicago Cubs in the 2019 Nick Castellanos trade.
The 30-year-old spent five seasons with the Tigers, including the entire 2023 season as the closer. That year, Lange posted a 3.68 ERA with 45 walks and 79 strikeouts across 66 innings in 67 games, racking up 26 saves in 32 opportunities.
Everything went downhill in 2024.
The Tigers optioned Lange to Triple-A Toledo in May 2024, then he underwent season-ending surgery to repair his right latissimus dorsi in June 2024.
Lange returned to the Tigers for just one game in 2025, providing a scoreless ninth inning Aug. 18 to complete a 10-0 win over the Houston Astros at Comerica Park.
It was his first MLB appearance in 15 months.
After that game, the Tigers optioned Lange to Toledo, where he remained for the rest of the season. For the Mud Hens, Lange turned in a 4.63 ERA with 14 walks and 29 strikeouts across 23â…“ innings in 24 games.
Lange owns a 3.70 ERA in his five-year MLB career, spanning 184â…” innings in 196 games. He has an above-average 27.2% strikeout rate but a poor 13.5% walk rate.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
Listen to our weekly Tigers show “Days of Roar” every Monday afternoon during the season and Tuesday afternoon during the offseason on demand at freep.com, Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.