“Detroit’s $100 Million Question: Can the Tigers Buy Back Their Fans’ Trust?”
There’s a quiet tension hanging over Detroit. Not the kind that fills Comerica Park in the ninth inning, but the kind that lives in the silence after another missed postseason. The rebuild was supposed to be over. The excuses were supposed to fade. But here the Tigers are — with $100 million to spend, a frustrated fan base to appease, and a defining offseason ahead.
The money is real. So are the expectations.
President of baseball operations Scott Harris has promised “strategic aggression,” a phrase that sounds good in theory but hasn’t yet translated into results. The Tigers have the financial flexibility to do almost anything — extend Tarik Skubal, lock down Riley Greene, or chase an impact bat like Gleyber Torres or Pete Alonso. What they don’t have anymore is patience from their supporters.
Detroit fans have endured a decade of slogans and rebuild blueprints. They’ve watched other franchises turn their fortunes in half the time. What they crave now isn’t a plan — it’s proof.
“They’ve asked us to believe long enough,” one longtime season-ticket holder told The Detroit Free Press. “Now it’s time for them to believe in us — by spending like a team that actually wants to win.”
That sentiment is echoed throughout the city. Skubal, the ace who emerged as one of baseball’s elite left-handers in 2025, remains the face of the franchise — and the heart of its future. His impending contract situation looms large. Locking him up would send a message: that Detroit rewards loyalty and excellence. But it would also cost north of $200 million.
Then there’s Riley Greene — young, electric, and already the emotional compass of the clubhouse. Greene wants his own long-term deal, reportedly in the range of $90 million. Paying both players would be a statement that Detroit is done waiting for tomorrow.
But the other side of the debate — the cautious, scarred-by-the-past side — fears the ghosts of bloated contracts that once crippled this team. The Miguel Cabrera years are still fresh. The thought of tying up massive money again without guaranteed results makes some executives uneasy.
Still, baseball is an emotional business, and the Tigers’ leadership knows it. You can’t rebuild forever without rebuilding trust.
Detroit’s attendance has been rising again, albeit slowly. The fans haven’t abandoned the team — they’ve been waiting for a reason to care louder. One front-office insider put it bluntly: “If we play scared now, we’ll lose more than games. We’ll lose the city.”
The path forward could go in many directions. Maybe it’s a balance — a Skubal extension combined with a strategic veteran signing. Maybe it’s a bold trade. Or maybe, in classic Detroit fashion, it’s a gamble that surprises everyone.
But the tone of this offseason feels different. The Tigers can no longer sell hope; they have to buy credibility.
And credibility, in this sport, doesn’t come cheap.
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