Detroit Tigers matched as best fit for top MLB free agent target

Who are the best fits for the Detroit Tigers in 2026 MLB free agency? And for the top players, which team is a great match?

MLB experts have been preparing for free agency, which begins Thursday, Nov. 6, by scouring the market to try to match player to team.

Third baseman Alex Bregman officially joined the free agent ranks Monday, after opting out of his Boston Red Sox contract. He was a top target for the Tigers last winter.

The Tigers have a need for an everyday right-handed hitter, be it in the outfield or at third base, a starting pitcher and have holes in the bullpen.

Here’s a quick look at who the Tigers seem like a good fit for, according to two writers.

Tigers best fit for Ranger Suárez

ESPN’s David Schoenfield on Monday matched up Suárez, the Philadelphia Phillies‘ stud lefty, with the Tigers.

The Venezuelan went 12-8 with a 3.20 ERA with 38 walks and 151 strikeouts over 157 innings in 2025 in his age-29 season.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Ranger Suarez (55) pitches in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park in Detroit on Tuesday, June 25, 2024.

“Suarez has been a steady and underrated pitcher since 2021, with a 3.25 ERA over the past five seasons, relying on a six-pitch repertoire that allows him to overcome below-average fastball velocity,” Schoenfield wrote. “He always gets dinged up at some point, so he’s a 150-inning pitcher as opposed to a 180-inning guy, but that still makes him a good fit for the Tigers, who need rotation depth, should have plenty of room in the payroll and could trade Tarik Skubal (sorry, Tigers fans).”

He’s also a dominant postseason performer, going 4-1 with a 1.48 ERA over 42⅔ innings in 11 appearances (eight starts).

“Suárez has yet to make 30 starts in a season since breaking out of the bullpen in 2021, but the lefty’s 3.25 ERA and a miniscule 7.5% walk rate in five seasons should make up for any potential innings shortcoming,” Free Press sports writer Ryan Ford wrote in his Tigers free agency target preview.

Schoenfield listed the Tigers as one several secondary fits for Bregman and Seattle Mariners third baseman Eugenio Suárez. The Red Sox were pegged as the best fit for Bregman, and the Athletics were placed as the best fit for Suárez.

“Bregman’s contact ability makes him a likely fit for the Tigers,” Schoenfield wrote.

“Detroit might not want to add another high-strikeout rate guy in the middle of the lineup on top of Riley Greene,” Schoenfield wrote of Suárez.

LOOKING AHEAD: Evaluating every Tigers position player entering offseason. Who stays?

Tigers free agency fits for starting pitchers

The Athletic’s Jim Bowden, a former MLB general manager, put the Tigers as one of several teams fitting the top starting pitchers on the market in Ranger Suárez, San Diego Padres right-handers Dylan Cease and Michael King, Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Zac Gallen and Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Chris Bassitt. He also put the Mariners’ Eugenio Suárez as a Tigers fit.

Bowden also put the Tigers as a fit for Padres closer Robert Suarez, Mets sidearm righty Tyler Rogers and Atlanta Braves closer Raisel Iglesias.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers matched as best fit for top MLB free agent target

Detroit Tigers matched as best fit for top MLB free agent target

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