The Detroit Tigers seem to have an aggressive mindset in their pursuit of an improved offense in 2026. Last year, the bats went cold toward the end of the regular season as they stumbled into the playoffs. They got away with timely hitting in their Wild Card series win over the Cleveland Guardians, but that won’t cut it next year.
Detroit got some good news earlier in the week. Gleyber Torres accepted the qualifying offer, which means he will return as the team’s second baseman. The Tigers shuffled multiple players at third base a season ago. Colt Keith and Andy Ibanez each got work at the hot corner, but it was Zach McKinstry who emerged as the best option.
President of baseball operations Scott Harris may be looking for an upgrade at the position. Rumors have circulated that they’re in the mix for Alex Bregman once again, but there is another third baseman who could bolster the lineup.
Tigers Could be a Landing Spot for Eugenio Suarez
John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
The Seattle Mariners acquired Eugenio Suarez from the Arizona Diamondbacks at the trade deadline. Suarez reunited with the team he spent two seasons with. He made an impact on both the offensive and defensive side, and helped the Mariners reach the ALCS.
It is very possible that the 34-year old wants stability and returns to Seattle, but other teams could offer a nice contract including the Tigers. Foxsports.com listed Detroit as a landing spot. Suarez is one of the best power hitters in the league. Last year, he tied a career high with 49 long balls and 118 RBIs.
Both of those numbers would easily lead Detroit. His batting average and on-base percentage did take a slight decline with the Mariners. However, T-Mobile Park is a pitcher friendly ballpark.
Suarez fits Detroit’s timeline and he knows the organization a little bit as he made his MLB debut with the Tigers in 2014. There is an obvious desire to get back to the playoffs and make a deeper run. Assuming they can get the Tarik Skubal contract extension situated, they have a lot of pieces to do so. Adding Suarez to a lineup that already features Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson, and Kerry Carpenter could cause a lot of problems for opposing pitchers.
The Tigers struggled with strikeouts as they ranked top five in all of baseball last season. Suarez finished fourth among all players with 196. That may not be the type of hitter Harris is looking for. Bregman should be the top priority if they want to improve at third base, but Suarez is far from a bad backup option.
It’s time for Detroit to go all in on a roster. They have the rights pieces in place, but they just need a couple more players to push them over the edge, and Suarez could be exactly that.
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