The Detroit Tigers open up their 2026 campaign on Thursday afternoon on the West Coast against a National League opponent for the second-straight year, looking to make it to the playoffs for a third-straight season.
This summer’s edition of the Olde English D has a bit more beef to it than that of last year’s, especially with the addition of Framber Valdez to the starting rotation, as well as a late-career reunion with the legendary Justin Verlander.
Looking ahead to what we all hope is a run to the
World Series, the Bless You Boys staff convened to offer their predictions in roundtable fashion. The categories up for discussion were as follows:
- Tigers Record
- Tigers MVP
- Tigers CY Young
- Tigers ROY
A good portion of the responses were pretty much expected, especially when it came to a certain consecutive Cy Young Award winner and the top prospect in the big leagues. But there was plenty of variation in the record predictions, plus a few cheeky picks as well.
Take a long look at what the Bless You Boys staff had to offer.
Cannon at the Hot Corner:
Record: 92-70
This is a better team than last year. Valdez is important, JV is back, Finnegan and Jansen stabilize the bullpen, and you might have heard of Kevin McGonigle. This isn’t some flawless super team or anything, and the bottom of the division is gonna give us fewer easy wins than last year, but it’s a great roster to start a championship chase with.
MVP: Colt Keith. Why the f not? I’ll put my money where my mouth is. I love Keith, I think he’s gonna turn into a .280/30 HR kinda guy, and I hate being boring. My next two picks are super boring.
Cy Young: Well, here’s boring. It’s Skubal. We all know it’s Skubal.
ROY: Ok, here’s boring answer two. If this is someone other than McGonigle, I fear things will have gone terribly wrong.
Patrick O’Kennedy:
- Tigers Record: 88- 74
- Tigers MVP: Tarik Skubal
- Tigers CY Young: Skubal
- Tigers ROY: Kevin McGonigle
Peter Kwasniak:
For some reason, I’m not feeling very bold on predictions this year. I’ll go with the obvious choices all around.
- Tigers Record: 90-72
- Tigers MVP: Skubal
- Tigers Cy Young: Skubal
- Tigers ROY: McGonigle
Hopefully, the Tigers put together a solid season, not the wild, hotter-than-the-sun first half and colder-than-arctic finish.
Frisbee Pilot:
- Tigers Record: 92-70
- Tigers MVP: Kerry Carpenter
- Tigers Cy Young: Framber Valdez
- Tigers ROY: McGonigle
I enjoy being both optimistic and unconventional… except for ROY, we all know McG’s gonna absolutely kill it out there.
Brandon Day:
- Tigers record 91-71
- Tigers MVP: Greene
- Tigers Cy Young: Skubal
- Tigers ROY: McGonigle
Boring takes, but I believe in them. I really think the combination of McGonigle and hopefully healthy Gleyber is going to make this a more consistent offense, and this is the best pitching staff they’ve had since 2014. They have good depth beyond the starting five in the rotation. Just have to hope the big boys stay healthy and do what they’re supposed to do, but that’s the way it is for everyone.
Frisbee: I was thinking maybe Riley for Tigers MVP, but I’m really worried about his physical decline so far. Or maybe it’s just a bump in the road, who knows?
Day: Yeah, hard to know. He’s 25, but he is going into his fifth season already and thrown himself around a lot in the outfield. Not so surprising that he lost a step but the metrics definitely agree that he was a bit below average runner last year after always being on the faster than average side his first few years. I would bet Riley has a 40 home run season or two ahead of him though and hasn’t really peaked as a hitter. May just need to get him into the DH spot once a week going forward to help keep him fresh. But Riley has never really failed as a hitter his whole life until the second half of last year and he didn’t like it. I bet he comes back strong.
Cam Kaiser:
- Tigers Record: 88-74
- Tigers MVP: Skubal
- Tigers Cy Young: Skubal
- Tigers ROY: McGonigle
On paper, the Tigers got better this offseason in a way that fans haven’t seen since Mike Ilitch was dolling out six-figure contracts like hot cakes. With the acquisition of Framber Valdez and future Hall of Famer and Detroit legend Justin Verlander, it’s exciting to see them back to being players for major free agents.
Hopefully, it’s a sign of what’s to come for the future of the pairing of Chris Ilitch and Scott Harris. There are still major concerns, though. Jack Flaherty and Casey Mize had very discouraging springs, while potential rotation solutions in Reese Olson (entire season) and Troy Melton (foreseeable future) find themselves on the shelf with arm injuries. Kenley Jansen and Drew Anderson should elevate the bullpen over the goofballs Harris acquired at last year’s deadline, Kyle Finnegan — welcome back! — not withstanding, though they are still lacking in the strikeout department.
Finally, the offense wasn’t upgraded externally. Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter, and Gleyber Torres should be solidly above-average hitters. Spencer Torkelson and Dillon Dingler will probably hit. But this is a middle-of-the-pack offense that was inflated in the first half of 2025 by All-Star (half) years from Javier Báez and Zack McKinstry.
The biggest upgrade to the lineup rests with the bat of the team’s top prospect in Kevin McGonigle. McGonigle had an excellent spring and, by all indications, seems to be breaking camp with the big club, but expecting an immediate impact from any rookie is asking a lot. We’ll see what the kid can do; the season might depend on him.
Ashley MacLennan:
I’m choosing to go high on this season like an absolute fool.
- Tigers Record: 90-72
- Tigers MVP: Riley Greene (please, Riley, please)
- Tigers Cy Young: Tarik Skubal
- Tigers ROY: Kevin McGonigle, duh
Jay Markle:
- Tigers Record: 89-73
- Tigers MVP: Skubal
- Tigers Cy Young: Skubal
- Tigers ROY: McGonigle
Fielder’s Choice:
- Tigers Record: 88-74
- Tigers MVP: Skubal
- Tigers Cy Young: Skubal
- Tigers ROY: McGonigle
Zane Harding:
This was an 87-75 team last year that was a massive collapse away from 90-plus wins. Nevertheless, that’s a .500 team without Skubal.
All else equal — a bold assumption, I know — we added Valdez/Verlander in free agency, 6.2 fWAR last year, and are promoting McGonigle, a Bobby Witt Jr. level prospect who is projected for 2.6 fWAR by ZiPS in just 91 games of action… (he’s projected to exceed Witt’s rookie season, to speak to his hype.)
I’ll still factor some for entropy, but I’m coming in bullish relative to the roundtable.
- Tigers Record: 96-66
- Tigers MVP: Skubal
- Tigers Cy Young: Skubal
- Tigers ROY: McGonigle
Easiest answers for MVP Cy and ROY ever.
MacLennan: Poor Kevin if it turns out he just has a somewhat okay rookie season, lol. We’re literally pinning our hopes and dreams on him and Skoob.
Day: Well, add Framber and Kevin to last year’s squad, and I like their chances over the Mariners. Postseason ball is impossible to predict, of course.
Harding: Witt was worth 2.3 fWAR in his 150-game rookie season, FWIW. He was 22; McGonigle is 21.
Mr. Sunshine:
- Tigers Record: 98-64
- Tigers MVP: Gleyber Torres
- Tigers Cy Young: Skubal
- Tigers ROY: McGonigle
Harding: NOOOO Sunshine out-wins again!
Cannon: Wow, 98 is crazy. I like this guy’s thinking
Les Lim:
- Tigers Record: 95-six seven
- Tigers MVP: McGonigle
- Tigers Cy Young: Skubal
- Tigers ROY: Max Clark
Adam Dubbin:
- Tigers Record: 87-75
- Tigers MVP: Spencer Torkelson
- Tigers Cy Young: Skubal
- Tigers ROY: McGonigle
It’s the year of the Tork, baby! But I think the team will underperform overall.
David Rosenberg:
- Tigers Record: 91-71
- Tigers MVP: Greene
- Tigers Cy Young: Skubal
- Tigers ROY: McGonigle
I’m not really picking anything too spicy this year, but that’s because this is a good team that has a chance to be great. The Tigers were a win away from the ALCS in 2025. The pitching staff is better and the lineup has more experience, and adding Kevin McGonigle to the roster is the offensive addition that they needed.
Now that you know where the Bless You Boys staff stands entering the 2026 campaign, give us your takes in the comments below!
