After an unlikely playoff appearance, one game short of an American League Championship Series, the upstart Detroit Tigers enter the 2024-25 off-season in a great position to build a dynasty. With a young, productive roster and money to spend, they are a real threat to the Twins. On August 5, FanGraphs gave the Detroit Tigers 0.2% odds of making the playoffs; they had a poor record of 53-60. From then until September 27, the day they earned their third American League Wild Card berth, the Tigers had a 33-12 record. They finished the season with a record of 86-76. Let’s take a look back at how this underwhelming season went for the Tigers and what they’ll do during this off-season.

Detroit Tigers Cabrera Skubal Triple Crown Sweatshirt

The Tigers’ highlight of the 2024 season is their pitching lineup, led by a starting lineup that ranks in the top 10 in ERA, FIP and K-BB% among countless other categories. Their bullpen was not as productive, but still ranked in the top half in many of the same categories that included relief hitters largely considered undesirable by Major League Baseball. The Tigers have gotten a lot of value out of a position that can be quite volatile and is often considered a risky investment. Looking at the starting lineup, they got career years from youngsters Tarik Skubal and Reese Olson, who were selected in the 9th and 13th rounds, respectively. Perhaps most impressively, they sold the ball. his best starting pitcher, Jack Flaherty, before the trade deadline, but rookie Keider Montero filled in perfectly, with a 3.33 ERA in 10 appearances in August and September.

Offensively, they are one of the youngest teams in baseball, with utility player Andy Ibáñez the only contributor over the age of 30. 2019 1st round pick Riley Greene leads the way with OPS. 827 and 24 home runs. Matt Vierling , acquired in a trade last January, and Kerry Carpenter , a 2019 19th-round pick, are two more young players contributing to an offense that ranks third from the bottom in baseball in many different categories. The Tigers have a large number of players eligible before umpires and umpires to make decisions this winter. In fact, Javier Báez, Colt Keith and Kenta Maeda are the only Tigers players with guaranteed contracts for the 2025 season. In 2024, their payroll ranked 26th in baseball, just under 100 million dollars, down about 24% from their average payroll over the previous two seasons.