Detroit Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris arrived Monday, Nov. 10, for the general manager meetings at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, but he had to leave Tuesday for a family emergency.
Without Harris, general manager Jeff Greenberg assumed the duties of the top executive and outlined the Tigers’ plan for the 2025-26 MLB offseason.
“We’re going to prioritize pitching,” Greenberg said Wednesday. “Obviously, Jack Flaherty’s decision informs some of that, but I think we’ll still be open to adding a starter. We’re certainly going to need to add to our bullpen.”
He elaborated on those needs.
“The importance of finding as much impact and depth as possible in the rotation and in the bullpen,” Greenberg said, “we feel like we have some work to do in finding opportunities to address those things. That’s clearly what we’re focused on.”
Tigers starting rotation options
As of now, the Tigers have five starters locked into the 2026 Opening Day rotation: left-hander Tarik Skubal and right-handers Reese Olson, Flaherty, Casey Mize and Troy Melton. Flaherty opted into his $20 million player option in early November.
In 2025, the Tigers’ rotation ranked 11th among the 30 MLB teams with a 3.91 ERA. The return of Flaherty as their highest-paid starter addresses the biggest need in the rotation, but the Tigers are open to adding another starter this offseason.
What should we expect?
Probably not a frontline starter like left-hander Ranger Suárez or right-hander Dylan Cease – not unless Skubal gets traded, which remains unlikely. A more realistic target is right-hander Michael King on a four-year deal, though the Tigers could be more inclined to shop in a lower tier of Chris Bassitt, Lucas Giolito, Merril Kelly or Nick Martinez on two-year contracts.
“We’re open to everything,” Greenberg said. “We’re open to impact toward the top of the rotation behind Tarik, and we’re open to finding ways to add depth. We feel like we have both, but you can never have enough.”