Lakeland, Fla. — That pathway to Lakeland has become more like a job-commute in 2026.

Last week was a fifth trip this year to TigerTown, where the Tigers’ minor-league operations are headquartered and where new kids are schooled on the site’s back fields, a few hundred yards from Marchant Stadium, where the Low-A Lakeland Flying Tigers play.

Among notes and conversations while eyeing a talented Low-A bunch, as well as last month’s 2026 draft crop:

Cris Rodriguez, 18, center field, 6-foot-3, 203, right-hand hitter: Get ready: What the Tigers have growing here is a hitter who can, on the power-side, alone, rank as a parallel talent to Kevin McGonigle.

Understand the comparison: We are not talking raw hit tools. McGonigle is unmatched in all the Tigers’ galaxy in his ability to put a bat squarely on a pitch.

What the Tigers have in Rodriguez, rather, is a dynamic, pitch-crushing dynamo, which they saw early in his teens. It’s why the Tigers last year handed Rodriguez $3.2 million, more money than they’ve ever offered an international teen.

He has blinding bat-speed and strength for an 18-year-old. Whether he hits a ball 479 feet, as he did last month in a Florida Complex League game, or drives one onto Marchant’s left-field berm, as he did again Friday, Rodriguez is something to behold. Two other at-bats Friday were as impressive. He just missed on a pitch during one trip and sent the ball so high it looked as if it would scrape The Big Dipper.

He smoked a later ground ball at well, well over 100-mph exit velocity.

He plays center field and has an arm.

He is 18 years old and against older, Single A pitching has these four-game numbers: 7-for-18, two homers, three doubles, and a triple.

He also has struck out seven times. And there will be his challenge. The development staff believes his Ks will come down. But it’s what he does when he makes contact that is the surpassing story with a talent as premier as Rodriguez.

Michael Oliveto, 19, catcher, 6-3, 185, left-hand hitter: The Tigers didn’t miss a year ago when they took Oliveto, 34th overall, in the 2025 MLB Draft.

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Lakeland, Fla. — One of those late-afternoon summer thunder showers had just boomed its way across TigerTown two hours before the Low-A Lakeland Flying Tigers were to greet the Phillies-attached Clearwater Threshers at Marchant Stadium.

Cameron Flukey and his Flying Tigers mates adjusted Friday, as they always do in these situations. They threw. They hit.

There are covered areas across the driveway from TigerTown’s clubhouses. Youngsters new to professional baseball can get their work in, rain or shine, in super-sized facilities that are part of TigerTown’s beehive.

Flukey walked through a corridor leading from outside into the Tigers clubhouse’s wood lockers. He was asked if he had a few minutes to talk about his first month in professional baseball, which began July 12 when the Tigers jumped on him in the MLB Draft’s first round, the 22^nd player taken.

A right-hand pitcher, 21 years old, 6-foot-6 and 210 pounds, who can be a mean cuss on a mound, instantly was like the gent who wants to marry your daughter.

He was impressive, all because Flukey needn’t work overly hard at being conversational and pleasant.

And with a touch of humor, to boot. Asked how he was liking this first month in pro ball, Flukey’s eyes flashed.

“I don’t have to take classes anymore, so that’s great,” he said, with a wry grin, as he referenced his three years at Coastal Carolina University, in Conway, S.C.

He went on, minus mirth:

“It’s more individualized,” said Flukey, who grew up in New Jersey. “You have more freedom, in a way. But they still structure it. You’ve got your workouts, and it’s up to you to do them. It’s different from the team-only aspects of baseball in college.

“Obviously, the fields we play on down here (Florida State League) are beautiful. The weather is not the easiest, like 100 degrees every day, but we play at 6:30 (p.m.), so it’s not too bad.

“Those Sunday games (typically, a noon start at Lakeland) sometimes are a grind.”

Flukey is easing into a pitching timeline that should put him on Detroit’s doorstep as soon as 2028.

He has advanced talent, already clear during three Lakeland starts spanning 6.1 innings. The data: two hits, no runs, four walks, eight strikeouts. His fastball has been slipping into the upper 90s, alongside a cutter, slider, curveball, and change-up.

But that’s an incomplete summary, for sure.

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Everyone knows Tarik Skubal’s profession is baseball, which will be on display again tonight at Comerica Park — this time with him performing in a Dodgers uniform.

What they might not know is his involvement in a Detroit-based effort of immense value to young women.

To explain:

Nearly 40 years ago, in southwest Detroit, a small group of volunteers came together to create a five-bedroom shelter at a local church for girls and young women facing homelessness and other urgent challenges.

That effort became Alternatives for Girls (AFG), and four decades later, the organization remains committed to the same fundamental belief: that every girl and young woman deserves the support, resources, and opportunities to build a safe and stable future.

Today, roughly 85 employees provide comprehensive services to girls and young women experiencing homelessness, housing instability, domestic violence, human trafficking, and other risks.

In 2024, AFG expanded their services with the development of a 45-unit, affordable housing community in northwest Detroit, in partnership with Full Circle Communities, creating a safe and stable place for girls and young women to call home.

Two generous donors funded “Welcome Home” kits and supplies for every one of those individuals and families. In 2025, they took it a step further by supporting the creation of a new Early Childhood Education Center on-site, soon to be known as Still I Rise. Their support helped transform dirt into a high-quality childcare center.

The names of those two donors? Tarik and Jessica Skubal.

Laura LeBlanc, AFG’s Vice President of Philanthropy, was asked Friday about the Skubals’ involvement. She said:

“Alternatives for Girls is incredibly grateful to Tarik and Jessica Skubal for their steadfast commitment to the girls and young women we serve. They understand that the young people who come through our doors are often facing unimaginable circumstances, including domestic violence, human trafficking, homelessness, and other profound challenges.

“Through their generosity and partnership, the Skubals are helping provide something every young woman deserves: hope, healing, and the opportunity for a brighter future. Their support helps create a higher quality of life for the girls and young women we serve and, just as importantly, reminds them that they are not alone — that there are people who believe in them, care about their futures and are standing beside them every step of the way.”

Skubal is otherwise known for back-to-back Cy Young Awards with the Tigers in 2024 and 2025. Perhaps more impactful for Detroit have been his back-to-back nominations for MLB’s Roberto Clemente Award, given to the “player who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy, and positive contributions, both on and off the field.”

Friday night, with a Comerica Park crowd now sharing old affections but different scoreboard desires, Skubal will take his familiar stroll to Comerica’s mound, albeit in a different uniform, Dodgers blue and white, which has been his wardrobe since the Tigers traded him on Aug. 1.

A career-long arrangement was always unlikely between Skubal and Detroit. Free agency was Skubal’s plan, made clear when he signed with super-agent Scott Boras.

An extension with the Tigers? No chance, realistically, given that Skubal and Boras preferred, as Max Scherzer did in 2014, the dice-roll and likely dividends free-market bidding can deliver.

When the Tigers’ grand 2026 playoff plans disintegrated, not because of any Skubal failing, but because of various ills and breakdowns that became part of a bizarre 2026 season, the Tigers dealt Skubal to the Dodgers and, three days later, shipped Casey Mize to San Diego.

It is a colorful, dramatic, complex timeline, Skubal’s days in Detroit.

A ninth-round draft pick evolved into a dual Cy Young Award-winner.

An ace left-hander with a fearsome fastball and change-up helped the Tigers to playoff seasons in 2024 and 2025, and nearly pitched the Tigers into last year’s American League Championship Series, failing only when his team lost a 15-inning, series-deciding crusher at Seattle.

A relationship complicated only by the fact Skubal is now playing for a different team is at the forefront of tonight’s showdown between the Dodgers and the Tigers. How will the Comerica Park faithful react when Skubal is announced as LA’s starter?

In sports, players are mostly at the mercy of their employers.

In Skubal’s case, there was no animosity toward the Tigers. There was no trade demand, as, for example, Dylan Larkin made last spring with the Red Wings. In fact, prior to the deadline, he made clear his desire to finish 2026 in Detroit.

Fans in attendance tonight are spending their time and hard-earned money supporting their team. They are free to react how they see fit. Frustration with this season, and how Game 5 of the 2025 ALDS ended in that 15-inning epic, is understandable.

What will be understood yet by tonight’s mixed-emotions crowd is the impact Skubal made on the field during his time with the Tigers. The hard work and dedication it took to get there.

A mid-season trade meant his roster impact didn’t last as long as most Tigers fans had hoped.

But the impact that remains, the impact that endures, is one Skubal made in the Metro Detroit community through his work with Alternatives for Girls –- one that for the girls and young women he supported, could last a lifetime.

After Skubal’s final postseason pitch for Detroit last October, he let out one of his trademark roars.

For everything he did on the field for the Tigers, and for everything he did off the field for Detroit, the hope here is that tonight, when Skubal is announced, the crowd returns that roar.

It seems like a safe bet.

If you’d like to join the Skubals in donating to Alternatives for Girls, more information can be found at: https://secure.qgiv.com/for/afgdonationforms

The mailman has arrived:

Q -- In hindsight, both the Dave Dombrowski and Scott Harris front offices have defaulted to celebrity names too often. The Tigers should have seen last season that Kenley Jansen was prone to blow up, and it’s not like the stuff got much better. It is completely reminiscent of signing Joe Nathan ahead of 2014, then putting strain on the more effective relievers to the point of ineffectiveness. Obviously, the Will Vest injury couldn’t have helped matters.

Jim Shilander

A --It’s always interesting at trade-deadline time, Jim. What is the one commodity most teams are hunting: relievers. Sure, starters, also, but over and over and over again you see that everyone is looking for bullpen help. It’s not easy to find — at any time of the year. Thus, old standbys shine, primarily because they can be trusted to get a ball over the plate. Particularly with a guy growing older, the tradeoff can be that he’s also a lot more hittable. And there’s the crux of your point. Teams want to trust. Want to believe a guy’s still got it. And then, too often, they get it in the chops.

Q — (Follow-up query from Jim): Certainly there are examples of bullpens full of non-names that also stink. But it also seems sort of strange that Chris Fetter (pitching coach) can’t work the same magic with Tigers relievers.

A — I think what you’re seeing, as in any year of MLB doings, is that pitching coaches can only do so much. It’s still a matter of who’s throwing the baseball. The Tigers used to rave about two pitching gurus — Johnny Sain and Roger Craig. Note they were the coaches in Detroit’s last two championship seasons. Other years? Seemed they weren’t so astute. Leo Mazzone was a superstar pitching coach for the Braves. The Orioles hired him for big money, and, surprise, surprise — he didn’t have quite the magic in Baltimore. All because he didn’t have Maddux, Glavine, Smoltz, etc. Fetter is very good. He probably optimizes what Tigers pitchers can do. But it’s mostly about who’s throwing, and what they’re throwing.

Q — Regarding Peyton Graham (Double-A Erie shortstop): You said he is the Tigers’ best and most imminent shortstop prospect. To be clear, did you mean the Tigers’ most imminent best shortstop prospect? Surely, Bryce Rainer is the best there. Is he just farther away than is Graham?

Dave Furstenberg

A — Dave: As for Graham, he only is placed at the top of the pecking order because of status today that could be debated, and certainly can be temporary. John Peck also is top of the heap, but doesn’t walk, and that’s enabled Graham -- who has had a terrific year -- to perhaps move ahead as depth is considered. But don’t sell Peck, well, short.

Rainer, for sure, is the most talented of the bunch. But he is a year or so behind. More like 2028, at the earliest. But that’s a good target for him. The damaged shoulder (separation in June, 2025) set him back a good full year. But he’s regaining steam, as you’ve noted, very rapidly.

Q -- Are the only players leaving at this point Kenley Jansen, Jack Flaherty, Gleyber Torres, and Justin Verlander? What about Corey Julks?

Originator J

A -- (Answer from Joe Rampe): You are correct that Jansen, Flaherty, Torres and Verlander are all set to be free agents. Drew Anderson has a $10 million team option that in my opinion should be picked up. I believe everyone else is under team control outside of Tyler Kinley. Julks still has five years left of team control, depending upon service time at the end of the season.

Q — Aren’t quality relief pitchers fairly rare these days? Or am I too conditioned by the years-long mediocrity — and worse — being fielded by the Tigers? And are we talking multiple position players being swapped for single arms?

And, who is this Parker Meadows I keep hearing about?

Robert Honeyman

A — (Joe Rampe response): I agree that quality relievers seem to be rare these days. Building a bullpen to me is one of the hardest jobs for modern front offices. It is strange, though, that the Tigers never seem to figure it out for multiple years in a row — and rarely even for a single year.

I do think the Tigers have a bit of a logjam on the position player side, and some of that depth needs to be redistributed. I get uncomfortable talking about trades because players are human beings, too — but I’d imagine a few of the infielders/outfielders would welcome a trade to a new team if it meant a clearer path to playing time at the big-league level. If it takes two to get a legit bullpen arm, I think that’s what needs to be done.

As for Parker Meadows: I can’t quite quit him just yet. We’ve seen late-bloomers before and his tools are game-changing. What an unlucky break for him this season. I thought he could be a 3-WAR player in ‘26.

Q — Joe: What are the metrics on Vierling and Perez? My understanding is that they are below average fielders. Both should be released with so many other young options.

Clay Tolonen

Q — (Rampe): I believe that both Vierling and Perez are stretched a little thin in centerfield, but in the corners they are average to slightly above — for me. The metrics say Vierling has been around league average in the corners the past few years, while Perez has bounced between above-average and below. Their overall numbers take a dip because of their time in center, in my opinion.

Both are major-leaguers, in my view, but due to all the outfield depth the Tigers have, I think something has to give this winter with a few of these guys.

Q — At some point the Tigers brain trust will need to figure out the best use for all of these up-and-coming kids. Some may need to be traded for position players of need. Same can be said for some of the veteran players who are at this point taking up space on the 40-man roster.

So my questions for the two of you is this: If you were running the franchise, who do you keep and who do you trade/release? Would you expect to get any assets in return?

Jim F.

A — (Henning responses the rest of the way): The Tigers obviously have quite the bottleneck, unprecedented in my experience, ahead of these 40-man decisions. They’ve got to add people like Anderson, Josue Briceno, Graham, and Peck, which they of course will do. They have other Rule 5 considerations, like Hayden Minton, a pitcher with promise. And, if you listen to internal reports, Bennett Lee is as valuable as a back-up catcher can be regarded. They’ll deal with realities there, of course, and not overly worry about retaining a back-up who can’t hit. But all of them are Rule 5 guys.

You can imagine that beyond the free agents who will depart, Vierling is gone. I’m not sure Wenceel Perez is safe. Zach McKinstry? Probably. But it depends on what happens in the interim, because before any season begins in 2027, if it begins, there will be personnel changes aplenty.

Those are initial thoughts about next year’s 40-man. Because, at this point, that’s about all you can venture.

Q — Is Max Anderson (Triple-A Toledo second baseman) a variation of Kerry Carpenter? If so, can the Tigers afford that much mediocre defense? If given the choice, which of those two players would you prefer?

Scott Van Norwick

A — Scott: You’re talking an infielder vs. an outfielder, so comparisons probably are out the window, at least for me. Kerry Carpenter turned himself into a serviceable right-fielder who could put a ball in the seats. Max Anderson is a serviceable second baseman who can hit for big average and for some crunch. Were it not for the crowd at second base, with Hao-Yu Lee now a near-certainty to play there as well as help at third base, Anderson would be in Detroit. It’s going to be rough figuring out where he can fit. But what you see, clearly, is he at the very least should be a handsome trade piece. So many teams in the past, looking for a second baseman, would have been gunning for Anderson. His bat is a definite weapon. Someone’s going to bite, and pay a proper price.

Q — I’m still convinced that Anderson will be an impact player for the Tigers over the next five years, even if that’s only as the right-handed half of a platoon with Colt Keith — another talented hitter with limitations on his defensive skills.

Jeff Klenner

A— Jeff: I can’t disagree, although Anderson really isn’t an option the Tigers care to deploy at third base. One thing about trading him, as mentioned above: It could bite the Tigers for a long, long time. It’s why they’re holding on, deciding how their current infield will configure, and also ensuring they get a proper return for Anderson, if dealing him becomes the mandate. Baseball America just named him as having a premier hit-tool in all of minor-league baseball. No one is arguing.

When you can hit the way Anderson hits, you’ll prove useful — somewhere. I still expect the Tigers will call him up in September, not only because he deserves it, but it also will showcase his skill and probably elevate his trade status. But, to repeat, I say that with the same caveat: Sending a guy like Anderson to another team could blow up on the Tigers as it did with Eugenio Suarez and Willy Adames (my view on Adames isn’t shared by everyone, but I didn’t like that David Price deal from the get-go, all because Adames was a certified prize, even at 19).

Q — My question is, how hot is Scott Harris’ chair, presuming the boys miss the playoffs? And how much input, and how valued, are AJ Hinch’s thoughts post-season?

Bob Berry

A — No way, Bob, is Scott Harris in any trouble with Chris Ilitch, nor should he be. The Tigers made the playoffs the last two years for the first time in a decade. This year has been weird and wacky and that’s not going to endanger Harris. You can second-guess some roster decisions, particularly with respect to the bullpen and adding a guy like Kenley Jansen who was old and clearly in big-league twilight. But it’s also hard to indict a one-year contract. The same, obviously, was true in signing Justin Verlander. But this year was bizarre. People got hurt early and I never thought we were seeing a terribly representative indicator of what this team really was until they proved, to me anyway, by midseason they weren’t a playoff club and needed to make deals. They could be as imposing next year as they were deflating this season. So, for sure, Harris is in no trouble with anyone but with some fans.

As for Hinch: His input is of course premier on personnel. As for how Harris might be viewed by the skipper, if that was your question? It’s a fair concern, because Hinch certainly was quizzed ahead of Al Avila’s departure. But there is no way Harris is in any peril with ownership.

Q — (Follow-up from Bob Berry) Brayan Pena, Tigers manager of the Florida Complex League Tigers and now supervising the incoming draft picks and youngsters at Lakeland: Future Tigers/MLB manager/coach?

A — Proper question. Brayan Pena was on his way a few years ago, moving up the Tigers chain, but decided to step away for a couple of years and concentrate on being a Tigers developmental catching instructor. I think he likes the stability and non-travel and all the other features that are part of his newest gig. I believe the guy moving fastest is Rene Rivera at West Michigan. You can imagine: He is in his early 40s, is a longtime big-league catcher, is bilingual, and is deeply respected as a manager and as a teacher. I think he could get big-league work, quickly.

Another superb battery of questions, folks. Thanks for the conversation.

Email: lhenning@tigersintelligencereport.com

Lakeland, Fla. – On a steamy August day at Marchant Stadium, hot enough to shut down your cell-phone camera, the field where spring-training’s Tigers play was loaded with kid talent that, in some cases, probably isn’t far from Detroit.

It was a mixed bunch that Bryan Pena and the Tigers development staff piloted during a seven-inning intra-squad game beneath a scorching mid-day sun.

Prominent were a slew of youngsters from last month’s MLB Draft: infielders Tyson LeBlanc, Will Adams, Dominic Pellegrin, and Robert Omedi; outfielder Tyler West; and among a stream of pitchers, a high-profile returnee, Michael Massey, a 6-foot-5 right-hander and fourth-round pick in 2024 from Wake Forest, who is back firing lightning after missing 2025 with arm issues.

It was an unconventional game scene: There were no fans in the stands, which was good, given the potential for heat-stroke. And not every kid had his name on his jersey. This was bad, given that player identifications can be like a weak criminal lineup (“Well, I think that was the guy.”).

Some of last month’s draft stars, like first-rounder Cameron Flukey, already have graduated to the Low-A Lakeland squad. But skill levels on Marchant’s air-fryer of a field were real last week as pitches were thrown, a hefty number of line drives were whacked against Marchant’s fence, and as kids, some still in their teens, sprinted around the bases like guys trying to qualify for the next Olympics.

Afterward, in the air-conditioned cool of a meeting room inside TigerTown’s clubhouse, Pena talked about what he had seen during these boot-camp weeks at Lakeland. He was joined by developmental pitching coaches Marcelo Alfonsin and Willians Moreno.

Pena, of course, was a Tigers catcher in 2013 and has been a catching instructor as well as a minor-league Tigers manager. He now skippers the Florida Complex League Tigers. When the FCL season ended last month, he shifted to Detroit’s new recruits.

Among early impressions:

Tyson LeBlanc, 21, third baseman, 6-foot, 200, right-hand hitter, second-round pick from the University of Kansas, who this spring hit 25 home runs in 63 games for the Jayhawks:

“His game-awareness,” Pena said. “He knows exactly where to play a guy, and knows exactly what the pitcher’s going to do against him. He’s very good about making adjustments. And that is something that has really caught my attention. The stuff I’ve seen so far — it’s fascinating to see the way he plays the game. I can see that power. And he really cares about understanding who he is as a hitter and player.

“He also loves to ask questions and get answers back. That’s something very impressive for a young player like that. He’s a guy who’s going to do everything in his power to help his team. I like everything about him. He’s the complete package.”

Dominic Pellegrin, 19, shortstop, 6-1, 175, right-hand hitter, fourth-rounder from Holy Cross School, New Orleans:

“He’s one of the most fundamental players I’ve ever seen at that age,” Pena said. “And I’m not afraid to say that. He’s one of those guys who knows exactly what to do when it comes to directing traffic. I can put it this way: He knows how to make his teammates better, to make the guys around him better. And he gives you quality at-bats. He doesn’t cheat the game.

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Thanks to an unusually weak American League, with 32 games left to play the Tigers are still only 3 1/2 games out of the Wild Card race.

But a leaky bullpen makes that gap feel much larger.

Including last Wednesday night’s ninth-inning implosion, the Tigers have blown 27 saves this season — second most among MLB teams.

That’s just not going to cut it, and unless a few rehabbing pitchers save the day, or a few others find the fountain of youth, Detroit’s slim odds of making the playoffs soon will evaporate.

Fixing that problem will be Priority No. 1 for Detroit this winter. Indirectly, a surprising new surplus of position players could provide a solution.

As of today, 21 position players occupy spots on Detroit’s 40-man roster — the majority of whom project as big-league contributors next season.

Starting with the outfielders, barring a trade (or injury), Riley Greene and Max Clark are locks for the Tigers’ 2027 Opening Day lineup — assuming there is an Opening Day. Kerry Carpenter surely would join them, either in a corner or at DH, if the Tigers are facing a righty.

Parker Meadows has been out for most of 2026 but has been worth 3.5 fWAR in just 189 games throughout his injury-ridden career. He’s a high-upside wildcard for 2027, as are 2026 rookies Brett Callahan and Ben Malgeri, who have the makings of a strong LH / RH hitting platoon.

That’s six potential outfielders already for the 2027 roster, a number that doesn’t include Wenceel Perez and Matt Vierling, both of whom have been league-average hitters in the not-too-distant past and offer value on defense and on the bases.

It also doesn’t include Javy Baez and Zach McKinstry, who are under team control for next season and could factor into the outfield equation, as well. With both also able to play solid infield defense (including at shortstop), their roster spots seem fairly safe — and add to an already complicated infield picture.

Kevin McGonigle has been one of the best players in baseball this season, and will be on the left side of the diamond next season — ideally at shortstop, for the sake of a roster overflowing with corner infielders and second basemen.

That group includes Hao-Yu Lee, Colt Keith, and Spencer Torkelson — three players who have had inconsistent but ultimately above-league-average seasons at the plate. It could also include rookie slugger Eduardo Valencia, who will factor in at backup catcher, DH, and potentially first base.

Jace Jung and Trey Sweeney also are in the mix as former first-rounders who have yet to sustain big-league success, but are talented enough to get there, perhaps with some swing adjustments.

For those keeping score, that’s 17 candidates for 13 position spots. Toss in Dillon Dingler behind the plate and the number is 18.

And that’s only the position players currently on Detroit’s 40-man roster.

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Tigers masochists who have waded through the past eight games beginning with last weekend’s wipeoout against the White Sox have noticed a few things that need fixing ahead of next season, whenever it begins.

In rough order, general and specific, as a playoff ticket becomes increasingly improbable, and as a dispiriting set at Kansas City heads into its Sunday finale:

— Power: The Tigers are middle-of-the-pack in MLB homers, and notice how they very much thrive or dive based on the long ball. One home run, only, thanks to Hao-Yu Lee, during this weekend’s first two duels against the Royals. The upbeat news: Things, even this weekend, likely would have been different with Riley Greene and Kerry Carpenter available.

Happier news for the Tigers’ immediate future: The homers will come. And a lot of that muscle will evolve simply from some kid players getting older and stronger. Notice how close Kevin McGonigle twice this weekend came to reaching the seats, especially Friday when his 405-footer that was grabbed in the one place he couldn’t afford to hit it.

Max Clark will hit his share. So, too, will a guy like Brett Callahan, who might or might not make Carpenter expendable, at least immediately. So will Hao-Yu Lee, who sent one to the moon Saturday. But these all are guys in their early 20s, when power hasn’t come close to peaking. Add in Eduardo Valencia’s pop and the potential for Parker Meadows returning — he would have had a much better 2026 with more power than people imagined had he not wrecked his arm in April — and this will be a different team in 2027 and beyond.

— Spencer Torkelson: Wow. He’s on a 1-for-23 spinout and hasn’t homered since July 29. His OPS+ for the season is 99, which means he’s a point behind league-average offense, playing first base, where hitting is a cornerstone. His OPS is .722.

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Thursday evening at Fifth Third Field in Toledo was another of those Max Anderson Nights.

He came to home plate five times. He had three singles. And a walk. And a strikeout, just to assure everyone he’s fallible.

It was so on-brand, Thursday’s tussle against Iowa, at least when it comes to Anderson’s offense in 2026.

He is batting .305 in 85 games with the Triple-A Mud Hens, with all the fixings, beginning with a .388 on-base percentage, in part thanks to his big 2026 breakthrough -- taking double the walks he had in earlier years.

He is slugging .494, with 13 homers and 19 doubles. He has an OPS of .882. He has nearly as many walks (41) as strikeouts (44). It translates into 11% walks in 2026 versus a teeny 11.8% whiff ratio and compares with past walk-rates of 5-6%.

The man who always could hit, as Tigers scouts knew when they grabbed him three years ago from the University of Nebraska at No. 41-overall in the 2023 MLB Draft, is hitting again.

But it’s those walks that have changed a right-hand batter’s offensive profile.

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The mailman has arrived:

Q — What does it take to be a reliever/closer? What type of mentality is needed? Is there an organization in the majors that has a pipeline training system that might be a model? Without thinking to much about the issue, the one pitcher I remember who went from Top Starter to Top Reliever was Lansing’s own and former Tigers farm hand, John Smoltz. But as I recall he needed to work on it with a sports psychologist.

Jim F.

A — Jim: You’re asking a natural question that teams all the time mull. Psychology typically doesn’t factor as much as whether a guy’s stuff might play up in shorter stints. An inning or two innings versus five or six can add 2-or-3 mph to a fastball. Also, if a guy has two quality pitches and lacks a third, the bullpen can be his answer. Mentality can definitely factor in the closer role, but definitely finishes a distant second to raw stuff.

Q — What are the odds this (Wednesday’s bullpen collapse at Pittsburgh) happens to one organization over the course of 20-plus years and several different front offices? It hurt the Tigers in a couple of World Series, and in the ensuing years and during their best chance in 2013. It’s like watching Ground Hog Day. Scott Harris needs to pony up and get some flamethrowers.

On another note, I want to congratulate you and Joe on a fine Substack presentation that keeps this mess of a season fun, in one aspect. Keep up the great reporting.

Dave

A — Dave: Thank you, a bunch, for the nice words — and for your historical reference. Because you’re right: This has been going on a long, long time for the Tigers. It’s why the 2013 team lost a world championship it otherwise was going to win. Bullpens aren’t the easiest to build, we know. It’s why most clubs at the trade deadline are looking for relief help. But some teams just do a better job there, and the Guardians are a prime example. Scott Harris’ principal mission heading into 2027 (if there’s a season, of course) will be to figure out that back end. It was the one big question some of us had coming into 2026 and has obviously been a steady saboteur.

Q — I completely understand the need to trade Skubal, but can you help me understand why I’m not seeing much conversation about signing Mize? Surely with his limited track record he won’t fetch nearly the price of Skubal. Why not try to sign him? Or is the thought that we trade him now and try to sign him anyways, a la Jack Flaherty?

Andrew from Ypsilanti

A — Andrew: Thanks for the question, and sorry for the delay in responding to your question, which preceded the eventual trades. As for the Tigers being involved in the Skubal (or Mize) sweepstakes, I suspect not, and certainly not with respect to Skubal. He’s going to go for a fortune, and given that he turns 30 this autumn, I would be against any team with reasonable payroll limits spending $300 million or more when that cash can be spread much more practically to cover other free-agent investments. The Dodgers and Mets probably can budget for those kinds of bucks. The Tigers? No way, not in this view.

Q — Why do the Tigers continue to “waste” valuable playing time on Javy Baez and Gleyber Torres, two players who are not in the future plans? Down the stretch I’d like to see a standard infield of Torkelson at first, Hao-Yu Lee at second, McGonigle at short, and Keith at third. Let the kids play.

Gary Betz

Ionia, Mich.

A -- Gary, not sure you’re going to find widespread agreement on the Baez-Torres front. The Tigers frankly tend to play better when those guys are in the lineup, at least in the case of Torres. Baez’s advantage at short is defense, even if his throws often leave people properly irked. He isn’t needed as much in center field since Max Clark arrived, but still offers help there. So, I think he’ll stay in the picture, even if his old habits at the plate drive everyone nuts. Torres is here for another six weeks or so. And then, well, Lee looks as if he’ll be the answer. It’s possible Jace Jung becomes a platoon option there next year. Max Anderson’s future is to be considered, as well. A lot to shake out (beginning with the question: Will there be a next season?).

Q — I was one of those at the time who in 2021 couldn’t believe they passed on a franchise shortstop (Marcelo Mayer) for a high school pitcher (Jackson Jobe). Pretty sure we talked about it on Twitter at the time. For now, anyway, credit where it’s due Al Avila — I gotta take the L here.

Jordan Michael Gehrke

A — Jordan: You’re in a long line, myself included. As explained in the column, Al Avila, a terrific scout, could see that Marcelo Mayer was a tad shy on overall sizzle when it came to making a call at three-overall. The Tigers saw that Jackson Jobe was on another level of prep pitcher. It was criticized, for all the reasons drafting high school pitchers has historically been more than risky, but today Avila and the Tigers scouts (David Chadd, Scott Pleis, etc.) definitely have won the duel.

Q — The Tigers draft overview you presented (“Tigers are unveiling their 2026 draft talent at Lakeland, and early reviews are strong — and intriguing”) was very promising. Assuming these prospects stay healthy (always a bold assumption!) and combined with the apparently excellent draft hauls of the White Sox, Twins, and Guardians, is it fair to say the AL Central will finally rise from general mediocrity to an MLB power, top to bottom, within two years?

Garth Banninga

Grand Ledge, Mich. (via St Johns, Mich.)

A — Garth: I think you’re onto it, oh hometown native. The AL Central has had its last season for a while of being MLB’s low-rent district. Everyone is younger and getting better and talent that hasn’t yet blossomed is about to bloom. The White Sox, Guardians, Twins, and even Royals are getting nothing but better. The Tigers have a nice, self-perpetuating farm system going, but they needed the Vitamin B shot they got from those Skubal and Mize trades, particularly on the pitching side. Detroit will be part of the resurgence, for sure.

Q — As covered at length, leverage relievers are hard to come by and difficult to project... and acquire. There seem to be few options on the Tiger farm. At what point does an organization consider conversion from power arm starter to lights out closer? And who should they be considering as we turn the page toward the future? Is it smart to start converting injury-prone arms? River Ryan? Reese Olson? Witherspoon? If not, what other starters could max out as lights out inning-at-a-time?

Rev. D. Lee Andrzejewski

A — Rev. Darryl: Always, great questions from one of my favorite clerics: You ask something every MLB team asks, the Tigers included, when it comes to deciding whether a pitcher is a starter or a reliever. I think you might have hit on a potential answer in River Ryan. They’ll start him, at least initially, but he looks like one of those guys who can throw wipeout late innings. And this team has to get serious about making such arms options for a back end that is killing them, and too often through the years has killed them. Reese Olson would not qualify, based on his fastball velocity and repertoire. Malachi Witherspoon, conceivably, is one of those guys who seemingly could move. You always want to adequately determine a starter’s propensity for giving you quality innings. If it looks like the stuff might play better in shorter stints, bullpen, here they come. Great question, thank you.

Q — This front office has fallen in love with past performances and ignored age and in some cases recent trends. I realize the reliever market is typically thin but I would rather see more chances with younger, less expensive candidates than committing millions to guys like Jansen.

Scott Van Norwick

A — Scott: Again, as referenced in the response to Rev. Darryl, the problem is finding those younger, less expensive guys. A case in point: Tanner Kohlhepp at Erie. He’s a big (6-4) right-hander and a fifth-rounder from Notre Dame who in 2021 looked like one of those eventual back-end options. He missed a year with Tommy John and is back, healthy, and pitching, at times, like a guy who might yet evolve into a fireman. But the numbers are so-so: 4.27 ERA in 38 games, 52.2 innings, 46 hits, 13 walks, 56 strikeouts. Maybe, at some point? But not yet. So many guys like that. The Tigers have had a ton of young pitchers get hurt who might by now have been looking like options. But so far, the pickings have been ultra-lean.

Q — I’m down with these trades for the most part, and the timing. Clearly you can’t work a Casey Mize trade while everyone is waiting for you to trade Skubal. But who starts now for the Tigers? Valdez, Melton, Montero? Then who? Ty Madden? Jackson Jobe? Jack Flaherty? What if we have another injury? I’m not in the least upset, I’m just wondering how many bullpen games Hinch is going to have to negotiate from here to the end of the season. Does A. J. have hazard pay included in his contract?

David Hunsicker

A — Thanks for hanging on, David, to my tardy response to your pre-Jobe question, and ah, I think you’ve had a glimpse at how they can fill in this rotation. It’s the bullpen, obviously, that creates so many issues. And that’s got to change ahead of next season. So many would-be deep playoff years, and even World Series parades, have been sunk by these relievers. Their rotation gets them into games their bullpen can’t finish. Such a waste of so many games.

Q — Why hasn’t Cris Rodriguez been promoted to Low-A Lakeland? Interesting to see Angel De Los Santos promoted, but not Rodriguez.

Kyle

A — Kyle: Proper question, given that both De Los Santos and Rodriguez are 18. But it comes down to developmental maturity (and sometimes position) when these guys are promoted. It’s uncommon to have a kid 18 playing Low-A. De Los Santos is a bit more advanced, while Rodriguez has some swing-and-miss challenges that would be exploited. It’s probably not a long-term deal-killer for him, but at this point he’s better off on the back fields, with Low-A a near-certainty in 2027. Excellent question.

Q — I seem to recall always trading arms for bats during Dave Dombrowski’s time trying to get the team over the top. How many of those young arms panned out for other teams?

Robert

A — Robert: Terrific question, begging for some research, and the short answer is: Dave usually knew what he was dealing. Not a lot of heavy regrets on the Tigers’ end during his tenure when so many young arms were dealt.

As for more recent times (let’s go with 2025), guarantee you the Orioles love parting last year with Charlie Morton and getting a guy I really liked, Micah Ashman, a lefty reliever. Here’s Ashman’s combined numbers this year at High-A and Double-A: 28 games, 1.74 ERA, 41.1 innings, 33 hits, 11 hits, 65 strikeouts. Josh Randall, who was part of the Kyle Finnegan deal, has been just OK at High-A and Double-A: 4.97 ERA, 1.30 WHIP. R.J. Sales: He was also in the Finnegan deal and has pitched in only two games this season with an upper-body injury.

On other fronts: Jim Jarvis, who was sent to the Braves for Rafael Montero, is a sound gloveman and shortstop who this season made it to the big leagues. Enrique Jimenez, a good-hitting catcher the Tigers shipped to the Twins for two pitchers who didn’t work out (Chris Paddack and Randy Dobnak), has been hurt most of 2026 with a broken finger and hamstring issues. This was a necessary update. Thank you for asking.

Q — The team surely knew two years ago that Skubal would test the market. And they (rightly in the opinion of this fan) judged that it would be insanity to commit to $300 million for a (phenomenal) pitcher who already had two major arm surgeries. So in retrospect, they probably should have traded him two years ago to maximize overall value even though they appear to have done a great job this month, considering the circumstances.

So, Riley Greene, who at season’s end will have two seasons left of team control. Do you sign him to a long-term deal entering his age 29 season, given that (1) he has an injury history and (2) he has already had a noticeable decline in his athleticism. I’m not so sure the answer is an automatic yes. And if the answer is no, well, if we’ve learned anything from the Skubal saga, it’s that the incredible return you’d get to trade Greene this offseason will rapidly diminish over time. With a young (and controllable) core as good as anything since the group that made me fall in love with baseball way back in 1978, well, the Tigers could sure use some more pitching.

Marc S.

Q — Strong questions, Marc, with thoughts in this order: Skubal would have been sold for less in 2024 than his ensuing two Cy Young seasons likely could have fetched. And with his loss, you’d have seen two very different 2025 and 2026 seasons in Detroit. I think they hung onto him properly and did well with their deadline trade return.

As for Riley Greene: I, and some others, believe you might be onto something. It would depend, obviously, on a trade package meeting the Tigers’ needs. But I could see such a deal happening two years ahead of free agency (Greene and Skubal obviously are totally different talents and examples). The Tigers would need some fortification in the outfield (and a right-hand bat), but with Max Clark, Brett Callahan (he’s going to be a keeper), and Parker Meadows likely to make it back next season with odds saying he’ll finally be healthy, the Tigers, for a proper price, might be willing to make just such a deal for Greene.

Q — What about Jack Flaherty as a high-leverage reliever when he gets back? He has a good strikeout rate, and experience in pressure situations.

Mike

A — Mike: It’s a logical move, I understand. But some guys and their repertoires are either definitively more aligned with a starter (or long relief) role, or they have the capacity to tick up in shorter stints and be stronger. Flaherty is a starter. Short relief? I think you’d probably agree that, yeah, he’s a starter.

Q — “The Tigers rank sixth in baseball in bullpen ERA. Their relievers have also blown the second most saves in baseball …”

That statistic is incredible.

Ray McConnell

A — (Joe Rampe’s answer): Saves tend to be a bit of an underrated stat in my opinion. They’re not as highly valued as they used to be, but we’re seeing with this year’s Tigers the downside of not being able to convert those save opportunities consistently.

A — (Lynn Henning’s thought): You nailed it, Ray. It’s a prime example of being defined by the weakest link. And the weak link, or blown gasket, or whatever metaphor might be chosen, shows up time and time again, and mostly, I would submit, because age and the inability to consistently overpower hitters is absent from a back-end Tigers bullpen that gets exposed by so few lockdown innings.

Q — I vividly remember all the hype on the return for Verlander in 2017. All three -- Franklin Perez, Jake Rogers, Daz Cameron — would soon be stars wearing a Tigers uniform. We all know how that worked out. I see your point in trading Skubal and Mize, but you can never be sure about lower-level minor leaguers in return, even if they are highly touted. Perez could have been the real deal but injuries derailed his career. And Cameron and Rogers never panned out. I could also mention the return when we traded Justin Upton to the Diamondbacks, but it’s too painful to recount. My point is that getting High-A or Double-A players in return for Skubal or Mize is very risky. Of course, I would rather see the Tigers get major-league ready Triple-A players and pitchers who are tearing up their league but can’t crack their MLB teams. Still risky, I understand, but perhaps not as much. I just hope Scott Harris doesn’t adopt the attitude of “beggars can’t be choosers.”

Lance Littlejohn

A — Lance: Agree with parts of your overall assessment, but in this case I think the Tigers did very well with their Skubal/Mize trades. I think it was smart to hang onto them, and smart to deal, given that they were going to be gone in a few weeks, and the bullpen would remain in peril (without many practical moves available to make it better). The talent they got back is certified Grade A, for the most part, even though injuries always can change matters. But in this case, I really believed the Tigers acted prudently. As for the thoughts on the Verlander deal: Franklin Perez was the prize in that swap. Had never been injured, then, it all crashed. Daz Cameron had a chance and, in fact, is still in the big leagues. Jake Rogers has had quite a career as a back-up. But it was the Perez sequence of injuries that turned that trade upside down.

Q — Given that River Ryan (trade package for Skubal) was likely under an innings limit this year coming back from TJ surgery and his hamstring issues, might he make his debut in relief for the Tigers this year and then aim to stretch him out next year?

Josh

A — I believe you have their blueprint down, Josh. There’s a chance Ryan could yet throw some big-league bullpens. The question: Will it be too late? Great question. I suspect we’ll see a possible answer, along the lines you’ve detailed, even next month.

Thanks, everyone, for a hearty and vibrant series of questions and thoughts.

Email: lhenning@tigersintelligence report.com

One factor pro sports can’t wish away:

Age.

The deeper the years for an athlete, or a roster, the more vulnerable a team is to breakdowns.

Kenley Jansen, 38, has been Exhibit A this season in the risks of trusting in baseball elders. He proved it again Wednesday in a deplorable 4-3 giveaway to the Pirates at PNC Park.

Jansen threw a pair of home-run pitches in the ninth, the first on an 0-2 count. Two pitches, two homers, another blown save, all as the Tigers prepared to leave Pittsburgh with yet another road-series pelt and ongoing life in the ever-charitable AL wildcard chase.

An inning earlier, Kyle Finnegan, who is 34, was rapped for a run (and nearly more) that cut Detroit’s hard-crafted 3-1 lead to 3-2 and set up Jansen’s final-frame disaster.

Over and over in 2026, bad back-end work by the Tigers has undone what a team has spent seven or eight innings building. The Tigers can look at their distinction of having blown the second-most saves anywhere but in Washington and think about where they might be sweetly sitting had the late-innings gang not so often disintegrated.

These were defensible signings, both Finnegan and Jansen, last offseason — with an asterisk on Jansen.

Jansen was an obvious gamble as he turned 38.

It was believed here the front office had a handle on him. That metrics, and science, and super-analysis, which these days are part of the Tigers’ hyper-detailed evaluations, probably could be trusted.

And many times this season, that’s been the case.

But not often enough. Not nearly often enough has Jansen delivered.

Finnegan was a slightly different case.

He had pitched well for the Tigers after last summer’s deadline arrival at Detroit and then hit free agency. The Tigers liked him, he liked Detroit, and no one complained about a two-year return for $19 million.

But, again, mid-30s relievers are closer to their expiration dates and carry that much more potential to be risks in the mercurial realm of relievers.

These latter-inning blow-ups have been the most crushing of the Tigers’ failures in 2026. Bullpen meltdowns destroy confidence, fundamentally, in a team’s psyche. They ruin all that had been invested by starting pitchers, by a lineup, and by defenders in building leads that shouldn’t be as susceptible to collapse as they’ve been for the Tigers in an exasperating season of baseball in Detroit.

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Those paying attention to weekend news from Comerica Park have noticed the White Sox are pretty good.

And, with all that youth and talent, it’s not only obvious why a team from Chicago’s south side is in first place in the all-inviting AL Central, but why that same MLB club figures to be tough in immediate seasons ahead.

The same overview would apply to the Guardians and Twins, and does not exclude the Royals, which is why what’s happening on the Tigers farmlands, including at the TigerTown hatchery where last month’s draft picks are skittering about the back fields, will be vital if the Tigers expect that AL Central to be winnable in coming years.

Promising news for Detroit is:

The farm’s in good shape. And this year’s draft crop looks as if it will pay off, not only because legit talent already is showing up, but because of, yes, citizenship. The new “kids,” as they say, are a good-character bunch, which the snoops and observers have said, quite firmly, has been at the heart of hauls overseen the past four summers by Tigers draft-bosses Rob Metzler and Mark Conner.

More on that later.

At other outposts, such as West Michigan, where big Beau Ankeney last week hit six homers in six games, some mid-season roster-shuffling and promoting is also making news.

In random order:

Beau Ankeney, first base, 6-foot-4, 235 pounds, right-hand hitter: He hit two of last week’s six bombs Friday night against Lansing at LMCU Park, one of which was well beyond 450 feet, and the other a low liner that looked as if it would have rolled as far as the 350 feet or so it traveled above-ground had LMCU’s outer features not gotten in the way.

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Detroit’s surge to second place in the AL Centr…

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Comstock Park, Mich. – Beneath a late Sunday morning summer sun, music boomed across LMCU Park -- the kind of upbeat, cross-generational ballpark tunes (“Good Vibrations,” “Daydream Believer,”) intended to put a West Michigan Whitecaps crowd in the mood for baseball.

Ben Jacobs needed no help from the Beach Boys or Monkees. He was ready, even then, as he eased into a ballpark chair high above the third-base line, to throw a few innings or chomp on anything baseball-related, given that it’s quite the passion for a 22-year-old in his first full professional season.

“You grow up hearing how dreadful the minor leagues can be, what a grind it is,” said Jacobs, a mustachioed gent, 6-foot-1, a tick under 200 pounds, and a left-hand starter who is viewed as one of the Tigers’ top-tier pitching talents. “But I think the grind is the best part of it. I get to play the game I love for a living. And along the way you meet so many people -- and see so many new places.”

Jacobs so impressed scouts during his time at Arizona State the Tigers made him their third-round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft.

They have liked him even more in 2026, in part by what he has done in his past three games: 14 innings, 11 hits, four walks, 18 strikeouts.

He has had issues with the strike zone, no question — 27 walks against 78 strikeouts in 55.2 innings since joining West Michigan after a brilliant four-game start at Low-A Lakeland (16.2 innings, eight hits, six walks, 24 punch-outs).

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The mailman has arrived:

Q — Great historical background on the Jobe pick (“Jackson Jobe’s grand Saturday return reflects some Draft Day history — and debate — from 2021”). Al Avila was ridiculed by most for not taking Marcelo Mayer.

Clay Tolonen

A -- Clay: That’s why I had to get deeper Sunday into all that went into the Jobe/Mayer imbroglio. Al Avila was a very good scout. Remember, also, in 2018, when there was such a chorus who wanted Jarred Kelenic over Casey Mize. Well, Kelenic was again released last week by his fifth big-league team and is probably finished. Avila and his crew took long, long looks at Mayer and, as he said, he just didn’t see enough exceptional skill to warrant a third-overall pick. Jobe, on the other hand, even if the red flags were flying around a prep pitcher, had super-stratosphere stuff and command for an 18-year-old. So, there was the basis for Detroit’s decision. No one on the Tigers side today is complaining.

Q — Are you surprised that the return on Casey Mize didn’t include two real prospects instead of just one? The other lefty, Jackson Wolf, was a throw-in for AAA depth not a real prospect. That’s why Gage Workman had to be included. I realize that we got a former number one pick (#25 pick) in the deal, but that’s not much different than the draft pick compensation we would have received without a deal.

Blair Dominiak

A — I think you’re selling a bit short the package, Blair. Primarily, Kash Mayfield is a prize — not the brand of pitcher you’d be expecting to get with a draft-compensation pick. Also, take a look at Jackson Wolf. He is one interesting cat: a 6-foot-7 lefty with one of the funkiest deliveries you’ll ever see, and pitching at Triple A, where on Sunday he had a nice stint. He theoretically could be pitching in Detroit down the stretch. But it was Mayfield who was the blue chip. Getting him, alone, for a “rental,” as it were, was a potentially huge return for the Tigers.

Q — Scott Harris didn’t, maybe couldn’t, address the overstocked Tigers infield. I guess he can wait until the offseason, but might he begin that process now by DFA’ing the players we know won’t be here in February? Or would he hold on for now if he thinks they have trade value?

Dave Roberts

A — Dave: You’ll note the Tigers cleared one infielder from their — as you note — overloaded infield by dealing Gage Workman to the Padres in their Mize swap. But you’re right, as we noted: You still have the issue with Max Anderson and Jace Jung having no place, at the moment, in a Tigers infield jam-up between Detroit and the farm’s upper levels. There will be some dealing in the months ahead. The Tigers have no choice. And teams are going to be interested in those available guys, especially when they can bring appreciable offense.

Q -- What’s going on with the parent club? The noodle bats of the first half of the season are now solid as a rock, propelling the team to the top of the league in run differential. When the team is playing like this and it has Jobe and Troy Melton looking ready to battle for ace-status, and Keider Montero and Framber Valdez pitching like a good No. 3 and 4 on any team, are the White Sox and Cleveland really very far ahead?

Also, is Eduardo Valencia the real deal? How big a liability is he behind the plate?

Robert Honeyman

A -- Hitting is sports’ eternal mystery and challenge. I don’t know how these guys do it, Robert. Lots of us played long enough as kids and teens to appreciate how extraordinary are hitting talents on this level. But it’s still elusive, even for the better of them, which was on display through the Tigers’ first couple of months. Some innate talents have taken over the past month or two. We had expected to see some of these guys hitting earlier (Colt Keith a prime example). As for the Guardians, White Sox, and Twins — you can debate who’s got the brighter personnel future. The Tigers are right there. But they still, in my firm opinion, needed a personnel injection, particularly on the pitching end. I think they got potentially vital long-term help. As for Valencia, you saw with that throw Sunday at San Francisco why there will be rocky moments. But the Tigers like the tradeoff they’re getting on offense.

Q -- Objectively, is there a MLB roster spot in Peyton Graham’s future with the Tigers? Could he be the solution to the never-ending third base abyss?

Jan Warner

A -- There’s the question a front office is asking, as well, Jan. I believe the answer is pretty firmly “yes” — today — as far as Graham. Not sure third base will be his option, at least immediately, when the Tigers probably will want a guy who can play an effective shortstop to stick there. This whole Tigers infield puzzle is comprised of interesting parts — some very good, some adequate, some in question.

You’ve got to figure out in coming seasons how to deploy McGonigle, Keith, Hao-Yu Lee, Max Anderson, Jace Jung, Graham (John Peck is hurt), and a younger tier that will bring into the picture Bryce Rainer, Jordan Yost, and Angel De Los Santos, if not others. Then there’s the question of first base, with Josue Briceno and Eduardo Valencia as possibilities in addition to their catching credentials. It’s a nice situation to have, if you’re the Tigers. They still need people to break from the pack at all positions.

As for your initial question: I think Graham will be playing at least some shortstop in Detroit by next season (with the usual qualifier: If there’s a next season).

Q -- Did I miss Reese Olson as an option for 2027? Is there concern about his long-term health?

Ben Eason

A -- Ben: Reese Olson should be included. The only reticence is that he has had a shoulder procedure and those situations can differ from conventional Tommy John recoveries. But until there is medical information that would draw doubts about a full recovery, we should include him as part of 2027’s outlook — as much as we can count on a 2027 season.

Q -- Why doesn’t someone like Tigers prospect Manuel Bolivar get more buzz and mention among Tigers Prospect Lists. He plays a premium position, was a highly ranked international free agent and is among the DSL leaders in many offensive categories. MLB Pipeline, ESPN, Baseball America, and TMLR all have him unranked. Is he not expected to have a chance to be an everyday player as he climbs the minor league ranks? I feel if he was a Dodger, Red Sox, or Yankees prospect, he would be higher rated. Does he have defensive skills to stick at catcher, and what other challenges besides language barriers do international catching prospects face?

Michael Daenzer

A – You’re onto Bolivar, Michael. He’s been terrific in the Dominican Summer League: .347/.468/.613/1.081, with seven homers and 10 doubles in 40 games. The Tigers signed him in January for $2.3 million -- one of the highest bonuses they’ve ever offered a Latin teen. He is 17 -- and there, primarily, is the reason you haven’t heard a great deal about a right-hand hitting catcher, who is 6-2, 210. The focus tends during any season to be on prospects States-side. Also, pitching in the DSL can be all over the map. But the Tigers knew what they were investing in when they handed that kind of cash to Bolivar, who’s from Lecheria, Venezuela. Stay tuned. He’s a fit, so far, behind the plate. And he can really swing a bat.

As for challenges, beginning with language: That’s great sensitivity on your part. It’s why English classes are included in players’ preparation almost from the moment they’re signed. It’s a shame it’s always incumbent on the young prospect, who’s already in for culture shock moving to professional baseball, to absorb language challenges, as well. Why aren’t Americans more conversant in Spanish? It would be of mutual benefit to have more emphasis there. But you’re right: language is a toughie for a teen who’s also leaving home for full immersion into professional baseball life.

Q — GM in baseball has to be the toughest of the big-four pro sports. We all played as kids, or beyond, and thus we know better. And sports radio, having devolved to sound bites and Twitter blasts, is a perfect platform for “we know better”.

Bob Berry

A — Interesting, Bob: I know that being a GM in any professional sport is basically a 24/7 job. The amount of depth within a baseball organization, given the minor leagues as well as the MLB roster, is particularly taxing. It’s a life of unending conversation, research, evaluating, and thinking. I’ve always appreciated how a man such as Dave Dombrowski has made it work for 40 years. And still have a marriage and a family! I could point to plenty of examples there, including Al Avila, or predecessors like Randy Smith. Across all of baseball there are examples — many. They all have my respect for somehow being able to maintain a relative balance of the professional and personal.

Q -- I’ve never felt more connected to baseball and the Tigers in my life. Thank you for these pieces.

Charles D’Amico

A -- Charles: You, sir, make a man’s day. Thank you. It’s gratifying uncovering info about baseball players, teams, and the sport at-large. Same as football, basketball, hockey, golf, you name it. But you can get beneath the skin of baseball a bit more substantively than perhaps is the case with other sports, at least in the context in which I work. Much appreciate your words.

Thanks, as always, to all for a flood of excellent questions and thoughts.

Email: lhenning@tigersintelligencereport.com

Jackson Jobe on Saturday at San Francisco celebrated his 15-month reunion with the Tigers in Zeus-like fashion.

He threw 100-mph thunderbolts as part of a five-inning, one-hit, four-strikeout shutout that made a few folks remember why the Tigers picked him third-overall in the 2021 MLB Draft.

Getting back Jobe is consolation for AJ Hinch having to say goodbye last week to two-fifths of his starting rotation: Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize.

Seeing that Jobe, who hadn’t pitched in a big-league game since May of last year, has maybe even more power and fury as part of a 24-year-old right-hander’s careful body-building during a Tommy John sabbatical, is also nice tonic for Hinch and the Tigers as they stand to anoint their next 1-and-2 starters: Jobe and Troy Melton.

It’s not an insult to Keider Montero or Framber Valdez or Jack Flaherty or any other Tigers pitcher that Melton and Jobe loom as the Tigers’ highest-horsepower arms.

It’s all a matter of what they throw. And what MLB students saw Saturday at Oracle Park, as part of an 8-0 whipping of the Giants, was a Tigers starter who, beginning with the triple-digit fastball, throws five high-quality pitches.

Which is why he was drafted third-overall.

About that year’s draft, which has been a Tigers hot-potato debate since Sunday, July 11, 2021, when most Tigers fans and prognosticators (hand raised) thought Detroit blew it by taking Jobe over prevailing favorite, California prep shortstop Marcelo Mayer, who was immediately scooped-up by the Red Sox at four-overall.

A footnote: Mayer was traded last week by the Red Sox to, yes, the Giants, after persuading the Red Sox he wasn’t quite worth that No. 4 status, at least as much as they had concluded after 114 big-league games in which Mayer hit .223 with a .625 OPS. It doesn’t mean Mayer, a left-hand stick who is only 23, won’t light things up later. But two-season impressions count in big-league front offices.

As for those 2021 deliberations and how Jobe bested Mayer in the view of Tigers chief sleuths Al Avila, David Chadd, Scott Pleis, James Orr, et al. There were scouting insights at work then, and now.

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Even as Kevin McGonigle shows more gloss at shortstop than most thought likely during a cover-boy rookie year, the Tigers appreciate help at an infield’s most sacred spot.

They might have it percolating at Double-A Erie.

Peyton Graham’s season has been something of an 87-game marvel: .296 batting average, blow-away good .411 on-base average, .420 slugging and .831 OPS, all with a cherry on top: 54 stolen bases, which is best in the Eastern League, and four ahead of Graham’s Erie fellow thief, Seth Stephenson.

There’s more for the Tigers front office, not to mention manager AJ Hinch, to like about Graham:

He can play second base as niftily as short. He also — hi, AJ — can play center field or left.

“It’s the versatility,” his manager, Tony Cappuccilli, said during a Friday phone conversation as the SeaWolves prepped for an evening game against Altoona at UPMC Park. “I can put him in center field for a game and you’re not losing any defense.

“It gives him a lot more opportunity on the offensive side, getting his at-bats, getting his hits, putting balls in play. He’s learned to conduct an at-bat (Graham hits right-handed). Right now, he’s in the leadoff spot. So, you get a talented guy leading off in front of Hope, Briceno, and Jenkins.”

Those latter three would be outfielder Zyhir Hope, who arrived this week following Saturday’s trade of Tarik Skubal to the Dodgers; Josue Briceno, the left-hand slugging catcher (and first baseman) who has parked four homers in five games this month; and Andrew Jenkins, the Georgia Tech ninth-rounder (2022) who plays first base and sports a .789 OPS.

Graham’s work in 2026 is in line with his draft status: He was the Tigers’ second-round pick in 2022, from the University of Oklahoma. The Tigers were thinking Graham, 25, by now might be part of their big-league infield orchestra.

But what a siege followed: shoulder, hamstring, ankle, and wrist ills, with the worst coming in 2023 when he was hit in the face by a pitch while playing for Low-A Lakeland, was concussed, and played in only 57 games.

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A confession from Monday evening:

Someone was so busy writing a column immediately after the Casey Mize deadline deal that he missed a Tigers e-mail alert: Scott Harris would be available at 7:30 p.m. for a press conference with Harris offering explanations and revelations.

There would have been a couple of questions asked here, although nothing the noble media brethren didn’t deftly cover.

So, as a Tigers Trade Deadline unlike any we ever have seen from Motown’s baseball’s annals yet is digested, and after listening to Harris’ ample and even penitent details about all of Detroit’s dealings, a few next-day thoughts are offered, beginning with:

JUDGMENT: This was Harris’ best week running the Tigers since he came aboard in October, 2022. Discipline was an imperative. He could have rationalized that the Tigers had a playoff shot and needed to hang onto their two ace starters. But he knew, as some of us had concluded, the Tigers were light. They could get overly focused on 2026 and miss a rare chance to add talent that could put this team in prime-time shape in the American League Central for years to come.

It was viewed here before the deadline that the Tigers would get five or six players, heavy on pitchers, from Skubal and Mize swaps. Those trades not only could boost a system light on arms, but add muscle that could make Detroit a division winner and more potent playoff team in years ahead.

They did that while also bringing aboard a potential star hitter, outfielder Zyhir Hope, which also matched earlier thoughts on the relative brand of trade package Harris could expect from Skubal and/or Mize.

“It comes out of an area of relative need,” Harris said, explaining part of his decision in making the deadline deals. “There was an imbalance — a lot of position talent, and we were light on the pitching side.”

The Tigers needed quality, and quantity, and they seemingly got each in these August moves.

ACCOUNTABILITY: It was impressive, the — yes, humility — Harris displayed during his Monday retrospective. That’s not a trait we’ve necessarily seen.

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What you take instantly from the Tigers’ trade-deadline wheeling and dealing is this:

They needed pitching. In multiples. They needed young arms, men with size and upside, and with enough radar-gun heat to give the Tigers eventual help in their rotation, and, you bet, in their bullpen’s back end.

They probably got it Saturday and Monday as the long deadline vigils waned and as Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize at last were dealt, to the Dodgers, and to the Padres, with Mize going to San Diego just a few ticks before Monday’s 6 p.m. cutoff.

The Tigers confronted nothing but the truth in making the Skubal-Mize swaps.

They were not, and are not, a serious playoff contender in 2026 — not when their mathematical dalliances with a wildcard spot were going to disintegrate sooner, or later, largely because their bullpen too often is a mess.

Scott Harris knew this. So did most people who can assess a big-league team’s pitching stock, both on the active roster and throughout the farm.

The Tigers are lacking. They need pitching in the plural. They got it not only with two good young arms plucked from the Dodgers in Saturday’s Skubal swap, but with two left-handers culled Monday as the clock was about to strike 6.

On a lesser scale, consider also that they got pitching in last week’s minor deals that sent Jake Rogers to the Orioles (before he packed again Monday for Boston), as well as as from compensation for their earlier shipping of Jahmai Jones to the Red Sox.

The Tigers wagered, properly it seems, that four pitchers — plus a power-hitting outfielder, Zyhir Hope, who also was part of the Skubal move — were going to beat anything Skubal and Mize could gain for them with early draft picks that would come Detroit’s way once two billboard pitchers signed whopping free-agent deals, as they eventually will.

This is the very strategy some of us believed the Tigers had no choice but to deploy as a manic 2026 season heads into its final eight weeks.

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Now that the Tarik Skubal era is officially over in Detroit, here’s a detailed look at who the Tigers got back in Saturday night’s blockbuster deal:

Zyhir Hope was the Cubs’ 11th-round pick in the 2023 draft, out of Colonial Forge High in Stafford, Va. After signing an over-slot bonus for $400,000, this 5-foot-10 outfielder made his pro debut in the Arizona Complex League. In 42 plate-appearances, he had a heavy wRC+ (Weighted Runs Created Plus) of 138 — 38 points above league-average.

In January, 2024, Hope was traded to the Dodgers along with left-hander Jackson Ferris for infielder Michael Busch and right-hander Yency Almonte. A shoulder injury cut nearly three months from his ‘24 season, but Hope, who is a lefty hitter and thrower, shot up the prospect charts by hitting .290/.419/.484 in 272 plate appearances, with a 15.1% walk rate, 22.8% strikeout rate, nine homers, and a meaty 143 wRC+.

Hope was promoted to High-A for the ‘25 season. After hitting .264/.377/.428 with 13 homers, and walk and strikeout rates of 14.9% and 26.5% in 524 PAs, he got a ticket to Double A — at age 20 — for the season’s final six games.

It all worked for a Chesapeake, Va. native, who at Double A this season and ahead of his trade to the Tigers was mashing: .293/.369/.530, 23 homers, with 10.6% walks and 24.9% strikeouts.

Hope was MLB Pipeline’s 25th overall prospect heading into 2026. He is best known for power that’s well above-average, which earns a hefty 65 grade from FanGraphs on the 20-80 scouting scale. But he’s not just a one-trick pony, with above-average speed (18 stolen bases in ‘26) and arm strength that most scouts project will put him in right field.

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Catching up on Tigers business -- trade talk and non-trade matters -- following Saturday night’s seismic Tarik Skubal event:

1. – So, is Casey Mize the next man headed out of town?

You would think so. Teams with serious playoff plans (Brewers, Rays, Phillies) are still hunting a quality starter and Mize is sitting there as Target Numero Uno.

I’d watch most closely the Phillies.

Dave Dombrowski is like a committed Old West bounty hunter. He gets his man. Always. And it’s difficult to believe Mize isn’t primary on Philly’s list.

What makes dealing with Dombrowski appealing to other MLB execs is that he’s known for being fair, direct, and for not overly haggling about price.

“You’ve got what I want. Here’s the best I can offer.”

And that straight-line negotiating typically leads to a deal.

The Tigers in sending Skubal to the Dodgers late Saturday answered The Big Question:

Were they ready to deal and not play half-in, half-out games with their trade talks and demands?

They got a nice haul for Skubal and would want something similar for Mize — two good prospects, at least.

The Phillies, Rays, and Brewers (especially the latter two teams) have enough talent to pry Mize from Detroit.

Dombrowski, the master dealer, would remain a favorite here to make the winning bid.

2. Do the Tigers stop with Mize?

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