(© Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK)Rogelio CastilloWed, December 17, 2025 at 1:10 AM UTC·3 min readWelcome to "Tigers Tidbits", a quick look around baseball as we are closing in on the holiday season and the free agent market on Detroit's side, as far as offensive players go, has been slow.
Over the last few weeks, the Detroit Tigers's transaction log has been reliever heavy. Most of the articles on our site has been recapping all the reliever movement while fans wait to see if they are going to either make a trade or sign a bat. As of right now, the vibe seems to indicate a small signing but who knows at this point.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementRegardless, this allows us to look at the bullpen and rotation as the team offically announce the signing of Drew Anderson.
Anderson, along with Keider Montero and Sawyer Gipson-Long, should make up the six, seven and eight spots of the rotation with Troy Watson as the outside man looking in from Toledo. The bullpen now with Kenley Jensen, who may get his 500th save here, will be a part of the three-headed back end of the bullpen with Kyle Finnegan and Will Vest. With Brenan Hanifee's ability to get ground balls and Beau Briske, with a good change and fastball, could give Detroit, right-hander wise, a good advantage late in games.
Tyler Horton and Brant Hurter will see extended action as long left-handed choices, who could even start the game when needed. It's too early to tell but does not seem likely that the Tigers will continue to chase more pitching.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSpeaking of relief pitching, Jason Foley signed a one-year deal with the Giants. Foley, who dealt with injuries last season, never returned to his 2024 form. Still, he is a groundball-oriented reliever with a heavy sinker, a profile that could make him a good fit in San Francisco.
Alex Bregman's Desert TrekEarlier on Tuesday, Moccbomb on "X" first reported that the Diamondbacks are interested in signing Alex Bregman.
While the Tigers are "rumored" in the 3rd baseman, there hasnt been anything that has moved forward nor on the Ketel Marte trade front either.
At this point, the delay in adding offensive help appears to be tied to a potential trade, with Boston also rumored to be interested in Marte. The remaining free-agent options do not seem to fit the right-handed power profile the Tigers need. Something has to give, as Tigers fans are once again left waiting for clarity on how the roster will ultimately take shape.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWest Michigan Whitecaps take home more hardwareThe High-A affilate of the Tigers, the West Michigan Whitecaps, were named the Minor League Team of the Year by Baseball America. They put together one of the most dominating seasons ever, finishing 92-39, best winning percentage since 1994.
This was a team that lost Max Clark, Kevin McGonigle and Josue Briceno halfway through the season, kept it rolling along with the changes across the roster. They put together a plus run differential of 294, best in the minors since 2005.
Follow me on "X" @rogcastbaseball and check out our channels for all things Michigan sports.
AdvertisementAdvertisement
