First 2025 Lineup Projections See Detroit Tigers Bringing In Veteran
The Detroit Tigers had one of the most improbable runs to the 2024 postseason that we have ever witnessed in the history of Major League Baseball.
They entered the trade deadline on July 30 with a 52-56 record, fourth in the American League Central, and 6.5 games back of the third American League Wild Card berth. A sell-off ensued, with veteran starter Jack Flaherty, veteran reliever Andrew Chafin, and veteran outfielder Mark Canha all being shipped to different teams with no expectation of making the playoffs.
A 34-20 record the rest of the way would see the team land in the playoffs, and win their first-round matchup with the Houston Astros.
That's as far as the Tigers would make it, however, as the Cleveland Guardians would knock them out on their way to a matchup with the New York Yankees.
While the comeback was impressive, it was highly improbable and highly unlikely to happen again with the way that the roster is constructed. Some additions drastically need to be made to the lineup, and Joel Reuter suggests a surprising one with his first lineup projection for the club for Bleacher Report.
Reuter's lineup for Detroit in 2025 looks like this:
CF Parker Meadows
RF Kerry Carpenter
LF Riley Greene
DH J.D. Martinez
3B Matt Vierling
2B Colt Keith
1B Spencer Torkelson
SS Trey Sweeney
C Jake Rogers
J.D. Martinez is the notable addition to the lineup, a slugging veteran with whom the club would be reuniting.
"The Tigers have a lot of exciting young offensive pieces, but adding a proven veteran run producer such as J.D. Martinez to the middle of the lineup could help take their lineup to the next level," writes Reuter. "It would also be a nice homecoming for the 37-year-old, who originally broke out with the Tigers in 2014."
In his time with the Tigers, Martinez batted .300/.361/.551 with 99 home runs, 285 RBI, and a 147 OPS+ across 1,886 plate appearances in 458 games. It was an outstanding stretch for the slugger, and reuniting with the club could see that production return.
Another massive improvement comes in-house, with Reuter projecting Sweeney to start over veteran Javier Baez.
"Rookie shortstop Trey Sweeney played well enough down the stretch, especially defensively, to wonder if the Tigers will consider cutting their losses on Javier Báez this winter," opines Reuter. "He has three years and $73 million left on his contract, and he was a minus-1.1 WAR player over 80 games in 2024."
It would be a massive coup for the club if they could remove Baez from the lineup, though they will still be on the hook for his albatross of a contract. It has not been a happy pairing for Detroit and Baez.
While these moves could prove beneficial for the club, it still does not feel like enough for the Tigers to be competitive. There is a lot of winter left, however, and a lot more time for hypothetical lineups to be debated.
