The Detroit Tigers snatched the Wednesday-night matchup against the Minnesota Twins from the jaws of defeat. They might have won the series finale, but it did little to improve their postseason chances. With less than four weeks to go, the Tigers’ playoff hopes are next to none, and an MLB analyst used a brutal analogy to describe their situation.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
“They’ve lost 14 of 17. They are absolutely on life support right now,” said Cody Stavenhagen on Foul Territory. “And you look at it throughout this summer, AJ Hinch had kind of said, ‘Hey, we’re a good team with a bad record’. And I didn’t really think he was wrong.”
The Tigers are buried in a crowded American League Wild Card race. They entered the series finale against the Twins after losing 14 of their last 17 games. The Twins had also handed them back-to-back blowout losses (11-1 and 15-2) in the first two games of the series. Despite winning 11-6 on Wednesday, the Tigers (64-75) remain six games behind the Cleveland Guardians, which currently holds the third and final AL Wild Card spot. They rank fourth in the AL Central and are nine games behind the division leaders, the Chicago White Sox. The Tigers are currently navigating murky waters on their quest for a playoff spot.
But it’s not over for them yet. They have been here before.
In 2024, the Tigers pulled their season around. They grew from being sellers to playoff contenders. They even traded veterans Jack Flaherty and Andrew Chafin during the trade deadline. But soon after, the Tigers surged and recorded a dominant 31-11 stretch. It helped the Tigers finish the regular season with an 86-76 record and secure a playoff spot. It’s high time the Tigers give their loyalists a repeat performance. Currently, their playoff odds are only 0.7%, per FanGraphs. According to Stavenhagen, the Tigers’ front office has given up on the season and is focusing on the next.
“It seemed at times like they were just a good week away from really being able to make a run. But post-trade deadline, they traded Mize and Skubal; Riley Green gets hurt in August. And you look at this roster on paper now, they’re playing seven or eight rookies,” said Stavenhagen, per Foul Territory. “It seems to me like the front office has made the decision to kind of move on and start playing for 2027. So you hope some positives can come in September, but it’s been really rough lately.”
This season, the Tigers traded two of their star pitchers ahead of the August 3 trade deadline, including Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize. Both Skubal and Mize were set to become free agents at the end of the 2026 season. The Tigers sent Skubal, who is set to earn $32 million at the end of this season, to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Detroit gained outfielder Zyhir Hope alongside RHP Ryan River and Brady Smith. The back-to-back Cy Young winner posted a 3.00 ERA with the Dodgers.
On the other hand, Mize was on a one-year, $6.15 million contract to avoid arbitration. The Tigers traded him to the San Diego Padres in exchange for LHP Kash Mayfield and Jackson Wolf. Gage Workman was also sent to the Padres.
Hope, Smith, and Mayfield are only 21 years old and are still developing in the minor leagues. They have not debuted in the big leagues yet. As the analyst pointed out, the Tigers appear to be adding fresh talent to their farm system to prepare for the upcoming season.
They have already called up 24-year-old Brett Callahan from Triple-A Toledo this season. Callahan debuted on August 16 against the Chicago White Sox. His first hit was a two-run triple. Callahan has gone 9-for-34 and is batting .265 with 1 homer and 6 RBIs.
The playoff chances are slim for the Tigers. But if they want to make it, they need to win as many games as possible and hope for the best.