Should Detroit Tigers let Tarik Skubal pitch deeper into games?
The Days of Roar podcast breaks down the caution around Tarik Skubal’s pitch count, plus thoughts from Justin Verlander on pitching deep into games.
- The Detroit Tigers may look to improve their roster by the July 31 trade deadline.
- Potential areas for improvement include pitching and shortstop.
The Detroit Tigers have one of the most complete teams in MLB. But that doesn’t mean they can’t improve before the July 31 trade deadline.
As the MLB season passes its one-third mark, teams are positioning themselves as potential buyers and sellers nearly two months before the deadline. And unlike last season, when the Tigers traded away many of their top pitchers, Detroit will likely find itself as a deadline buyer to bolster its roster for a playoff run.
But where should the Tigers look to add players?
On the surface, it would seem like a clear answer is on the pitching staff. The Tigers entered the season with more than enough qualified candidates for the starting rotation, but that number has whittled down since Opening Day with current injured list stints for Reese Olson and Jackson Jobe. The release of Kenta Maeda has also taxed the team’s depth, though the return of right-handed starter Sawyer Gipson-Long should help fortify the staff, and Alex Cobb, who signed a one-year, $15 million contract this offseason, should theoretically be able to pitch at some point this year.
And on the pitching front, it of course never hurts to have some more bullpen firepower when making a postseason run.
Another answer could be the infield. The Tigers have gotten above-average production at nearly every position on the field, but a loud exception is at shortstop, where second-year player Trey Sweeney has taken the majority of starts (and started slowly).
The shortstop, who came over from the Los Angeles Dodgers with catching prospect Thayron Liranzo in the 2024 Jack Flaherty trade, is currently slashing .225/.282/.316 over 206 plate appearances in 2025. His .597 OPS is the lowest among Tigers regulars and is around 30% lower than league average, according to Baseball Reference.
Sweeney hasn’t been effective defensively, either. He ranks in the 29th percentile in Fielding Run Value according to Statcast and has negative-5 defensive runs saved after putting up positive defensive value in 2024.
Ironically for the Tigers, the re-emergence of Javier Báez as an offensive contributor gives the Tigers a better shortstop option already on the roster. But with injuries to various Tigers outfielders (and Báez’s positional flexibility), it would be hard to pencil him in as the team’s go-to shortstop for the rest of the season.
The same goes for utility player Zach McKinstry, who has played six games at shortstop for the Tigers in 2025 but 26 games at right field and 25 games at third base.
That could put the Tigers in the market for a shortstop according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, who sees the Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette as a potential trade target:
“Bichette’s gap-to-gap power would play well at Comerica Park and lengthen a lineup that has scored more runs than anticipated,” he writes. “The Tigers don’t need much. With their prospect depth, though, they can afford a luxury item.”
After a rough 2024 season, Bichette has rebounded closer to his career averages in 2025, entering Wednesday with a slash line of .276/.322/.425 in 273 plate appearances for the Jays. He led the American League in hits in back-to-back seasons in 2021 (191 hits) and 2022 (189).
Bichette is in the final year of a three-year, $33.6 million deal with the Blue Jays, making him a free agent at the end of the 2025 season.
The Tigers could add Bichette (or any other shortstop) to their roster without having to get rid of Sweeney, as the 25-year-old has three minor league options left.
You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.
