The Detroit Tigers have a lot of questions to answer when the 2026 campaign is said and done. Entering this season with a Top-10 payroll and now being led by young players for the final month of the season, the Tigers now enter a new era of baseball in which they'll need to decide who is a part of it.
Several rookies have debuted this season, many forcing the front office's hand to keep them on the field as much as possible. Then there are other players who helped get the franchise back to the postseason in 2024 and 2025 who could be on the chopping block or could see a reduced role in 2027.
That said, here are three Detroit Tigers who could be on the chopping block this offseason.
Detroit Tigers right fielder Zach McKinstry (39) looks on at the batting cage before the game. Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Zach McKinstry has played his best baseball as a member of the Tigers organization, earning his first All-Star nod and Silver Slugger Award last season. However, that 2025 season hasn't been reflected in McKinstry's 2026 season in multiple ways.
For starters, McKnistry has a 1.7 WAR this season, with 1.5 of the 1.7 coming from his work in the field. With four home runs and a .212 batting average as a veteran in the lineup, McKinstry is only on the roster for his defensive abilities at this stage of the season.
That said, McKinstry has found himself playing a lot of right field this year since Kerry Carpenter has gone on the injured list. But with the surplus of outfielders in the system , such as Ben Malgeri and Brett Callahan, who prove to be defensive assets in their own right with better-looking numbers at the plate and who both happen to be younger, McKinstry could see his Tigers career come to an end.
McKinstry is under team control until 2028 , which means that if Detroit chooses to move on, they would have to non-tender him this offseason or look to trade him to add young players to the organization.
Detroit Tigers outfielder Parker Meadows. Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
While McKinstry has multiple people who could take his job, Parker Meadows has one specific man eyeing the everyday center field role: Max Clark. Meadows has shown over his four years in Detroit that his defense will always be on, but his bat will be inconsistent.
When Meadows is going well at the plate, the numbers show it. But what hurts him the most is the long stretches where the offense is nowhere to be found. Not to mention, Meadows hasn't been able to play a full season in any year since he debuted.
Clark isn't a perfect center fielder yet, but one trait that Meadows and Clark both share is their first-step speed. Both have the ability to run down balls that no one thinks are catchable, but ultimately, Clark is younger, is showing hitting intelligence, and has stayed healthy.
Detroit has control over Meadows until 2031; therefore, there's a world where Meadows stays with the team in the coming years, though it might be as a bench bat or a defensive replacement to Clark, should he continue to prove why he's at the MLB level at 21.
Detroit Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson (20) hits a single. Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
While other Tigers players and positions could be replaced in 2027, such as at second base, assuming Gleyber Torres doesn't return to the franchise for a third year, Spencer Torkelson finds himself in an odd position as the season winds down.
The former first-overall pick has hit 22 home runs and holds an OPS of .718; it's not the Torkelson the Tigers were hoping for. His every-other-year production puts him in a difficult category, as Detroit needs a first baseman who they can rely on year in and year out.
Colt Keith and Josue Briceo are two names that could take over Torkelson's everyday first baseman job in 2027 - a job that Torkelson has had since rejoining the 2024 roster after being sent down to Triple-A Toledo.
His fielding, according to Statcast , is one of the worst among first basemen, but to his credit, he does a very good job of picking the ball in the dirt on throws that don't make it to the bag. He's better at that than Keith is, which is a positive look for Torkelson.
Torkelson has seen his role decrease lately, with Keith getting more reps at first base, but he continues to keep his head focused on what's in his control.
Getting a pinch-hit single and scoring a run to extend the Tigers' lead in the series finale against the Minnesota Twins strengthens his case for a spot on the roster. However, his role could be reduced from an everyday position if other young hitters begin to demonstrate their skills.
Torkelson is under team control until 2029 and currently is on a favorable contract, with another arbitration season coming this offseason.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/tigers/onsi as 3 Detroit Tigers in Jeopardy of Being Replaced in 2027 .
