Detroit Tigers' Scott Harris: 'We're not done' making moves to improve 2025 team

Detroit Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris has already signed three free agents this offseason, but he plans to continue improving the roster for the 2025 season. The Tigers are still looking for position player and bullpen upgrades, and, of course, third baseman Alex Bregman remains a free agent. "We're not done," Harris said Wednesday, after finalizing a one-year, $7.75 million contract with right-handed reliever Tommy Kahnle. "We're going to try to find new ways to make this team better. There are a number of ways we can do it — free agency, trade, waiver claims." There are 14 days until pitchers and catchers report and 19 days until position players report to spring training in Lakeland, Florida; five days after that, the Tigers play their first spring training game, against the Philadelphia Phillies. So far, the Tigers have signed Kahnle for one year, $7.75 million, right-hander Alex Cobb for one year, $15 million and second baseman Gleyber Torres for one year, $15 million. The Tigers are in the mix for Bregman, along with at least four other teams, but he commands a long-term contract. Additionally, the Tigers have shown interest in relievers Carlos Estévez, Kenley Jansen and Kyle Finnegan. [ MUST LISTEN: Make "Days of Roar" your go-to Detroit Tigers podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple,Spotify) ] THE DEAL:Tigers sign reliever Tommy Kahnle to one-year contract in free agency Although Harris wants to make further additions before Opening Day on March 27, he didn't make any promises. "We also like our depth on both sides of the ball," Harris said. "We feel like we have a number of options in the lineup, and certainly a number of options in the rotation and now in the bullpen too." For the lineup, the Tigers seem likely to start Jace Jung at third base but would benefit from signing Bregman. For the bullpen, the Tigers have five relievers locked in (Kahnle, Jason Foley, Tyler Holton, Beau Brieske, Will Vest) but would benefit from a reliever with closer experience. Kahnle is the best swing-and-miss artist in the Tigers' bullpen, but Harris didn't label him as the closer. "How it all shakes out, I'm not quite sure yet," Harris said, discussing the bullpen roles. "We're not done building our team yet. We're going to have conversations with A.J. (Hinch, manager) and Fett (pitching coach Chris Fetter) about how to piece it together." The Tigers are not seeking upgrades to the starting rotation, hoever. While Harris mentioned the lineup and the bullpen, he didn't say anything about the rotation — aside from referencing the depth of starters. Back in December, general manager Jeff Greenberg said the Tigers were "probably done" shopping for starting pitchers after signing Cobb. SKUBAL SPEAKS:Tigers ace Tarik Skubal: Alex Bregman 'would look really good' in Old English D Right-hander Jack Flaherty, whom the Tigers traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers at last year's trade deadline for two prospects, remains a free agent. Flaherty has expressed interest in a reunion with the Tigers amid a disappointing market. "I can't really answer that," Harris said, when asked about the potential for a Flaherty reunion. "You guys know how I feel about Jack. I can't really comment on a current free agent, though." The Tigers have Cobb, Tarik Skubal, Reese Olson and Jackson Jobe as four of the five pitchers in the Opening Day rotation. The final spot is up for grabs between Casey Mize, Kenta Maeda, Keider Montero, Brant Hurter and Matt Manning. Right-hander Alex Faedo — whom the Tigers selected with the No. 18 overall pick in the 2017 draft — was designated for assignment to create room for Kahnle on the 40-man roster. If Faedo goes unclaimed on waivers, he can be outrighted to Triple-A Toledo. "It's a move we really didn't want to make," Harris said. "But our 40-man is getting more talented these days, and anytime you add a new player to the roster, it generally means that it costs you a valuable contributor on the back end of your 40." The 29-year-old posted a 3.61 ERA with 28 walks (11.4% walk rate) and 55 strikeouts (22.4% strikeout rate) across 57⅓ innings in 37 games in the 2024 season. He has combined for a 4.51 ERA across 175⅔ innings in 64 games (30 starts) in his three-year MLB career. "His out-of-options status made it a little bit more difficult to fit on our roster here," Harris said. "It's an unfortunate cost that comes with adding to our team." Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold. Listen to our weekly Tigers show "Days of Roar" every Monday afternoon on demand at freep.com, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts.