Detroit Tigers Winter Meetings Recap: All Quiet Along the Detroit River

The Detroit Tigers left the Winter Meetings without a headline-grabbing move, but that quiet shouldn’t be mistaken for passivity. If anything, Scott Harris’ public comments and Detroit’s limited activity suggest a front office comfortable sitting on leverage, not rushing it.

Akil Baddoo Signs Major League Deal with Brewers

Akil Baddoo’s signing with the Milwaukee Brewers on a major league contract officially closes one of the more surprising chapters of Detroit’s rebuild. His 2021 breakout earned him a long leash, but inconsistent contact quality and defensive fit eventually narrowed his role.

Baddoo’s minor league contact-quality metrics in 2025 quietly trended in the right direction, even if the Tigers never fully committed to seeing where it might lead. His barrel total jumped from 19 in 2024 to 28 in 2025, with corresponding gains in ISO (.181 to .200), average exit velocity (87.0 mph to 88.2 mph), hard-hit rate (37.2% to 38.8%), and barrel rate per ball in play (8.7% to 10.0%). The improvement wasn’t about raw strength, his launch angle remained steady at 17 degrees, but about more frequent, impactful contact when he squared the ball up.

Detroit, however, never provided Baddoo with sustained major league runway to test those gains. He was frequently shuffled between roles and levels, a reflection not just of roster fit but of timing. Baddoo increasingly felt like a holdover from the Al Avila era, a high-variance bet made during a different phase of the rebuild, rather than a player fully aligned with Scott Harris’ vision. Milwaukee’s willingness to guarantee him a major league contract suggests another organization sees enough progress to justify a real look, something Baddoo rarely received in Detroit.

Tarik Skubal To LA Rumors

Scott Harris didn’t just acknowledge Tarik Skubal trade speculation at the Winter Meetings, he validated it, without feeding it.

“I don’t believe in untouchable players at any level,” Harris said on MLB Network.

That wasn’t an accidental quote, and it wasn’t a misstep. It was a reminder to the rest of the league that Detroit understands exactly where it sits in the market. Skubal is elite, affordable (for now), and one year away from free agency. That combination creates leverage, not urgency.

Harris made it clear he will listen to everything, not because the Tigers are looking to move Skubal, but because refusing to listen would be malpractice.

“My job is to make this organization better… which means that I need to listen to every opportunity.”

The Tigers don’t need to trade Skubal this winter. They don’t need to trade him at all. But by openly reinforcing a philosophy where no player is untouchable, Harris effectively invites teams to come with their best offer, not their first.

What Harris didn’t do was just as important.

“I can’t, and I won’t, speculate on trades for our own players.”

That line wasn’t about protecting trade value. It was about control. Detroit isn’t negotiating in public, and it isn’t setting a clock for anyone else’s convenience.

Skubal having one season remaining before free agency, and being represented by Scott Boras, only strengthens Detroit’s position. Extension talks can continue. Trade talks can wait. And if neither produces acceptable value, the Tigers can simply take the best left-hander in baseball into another season with postseason expectations.

The subtext was unmistakable: if Skubal moves, it won’t be because Detroit had to act, it’ll be because someone finally paid the price that Harris believes is worth it. The reporter who said Skubal was going to be traded, for some reason, was tagging the team accounts. He continues to report there is a trade pending. We shall see but for now, he continues to enjoy the attention.

Gabe Rivas Leaves for Rockies Job: Why That’s Not a Bad Thing

Gabe Rivas departing for a coaching role with the Rockies is a reminder that Detroit’s player development group is now respected enough to lose staff to other organizations.

More importantly, the Tigers’ system has reached a point where philosophy matters more than any one coach. However, I agree with Brandon Day’s assessment in his posting today on Bless You Boys. The pitching pipeline has stalled, and it’s something for the amount of minor league games I have seen, the regression was very real. The Tigers had to dip into the indie leagues often because they were running out of healthy arms.

While you can’t blame that all on pitching design, there were several pitchers this season who regressed, like Jaden Hamm and Rayner Castillo in High A. Brandon said something else that stands out, that whomever they hire next for the vacant position will be the most important hire of the offseason.

Why RJ Petit Went No. 1 in the Rule 5 Draft

RJ Petit being selected first overall in the Rule 5 Draft underscored just how much pitching scarcity still exists across the league. Petit’s physicality, improved velocity, and ground-ball profile made him one of the more attractive “ready now” arms available.

Kyle Finnegan, and That Was About It

Detroit’s lone addition during the week came with the signing of reliever Kyle Finnegan, a low-risk move that adds experience and depth without altering the broader plan.

And that, largely, was the Tigers’ Winter Meetings. For now, we are left with Tarik Skubal rumors until the end of the year and what happen in Ann Arbor yesterday taking over the headlines. Even on the Tigers minor league signing front, they have been quiet, announcing they are bringing back RHP Matt Seelinger.

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Detroit Tigers Winter Meetings Recap: All Quiet Along the Detroit River

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