It's been a long time since the Tigers spent like a team desperate to win. Their payroll has ranked in the bottom half of the majors seven years running, and in the bottom third for most of their protracted rebuild.
It currently ranks 23rd at $106.5 million, per Spotrac, down from 20th last year at $121.5 million and about $60 million below the MLB average. But president of baseball operations Scott Harris is steadfast that the payroll will climb when the Tigers' competitive window demands it.
"From the moment I got here, Chris Ilitch said that we would have the resources we need to build a really competitive club and to build a club that can sustain winning over a long period of time. We’re not quite there yet as far as spending at that level because we need to build the foundation of this team to put us in a position to supplement it with some free agent signings in the upcoming winters," Harris said Tuesday on MLB Network.
The Tigers had a top-five payroll in the majors six years in a row under late owner Mike Ilitch, which coincided with their four-year reign in the AL Central. It peaked at $200 million in 2016, fourth in baseball between the Red Sox and Cubs. They spent more from 2011-17 than the Phillies, Angels and Giants and about $42 million per year more than the MLB average.
The Tigers started cutting back in 2017, shortly after Chris Ilitch assumed ownership, to operate more within their means as a mid-market team. Their current payroll places them between the Brewers and Reds, and they've spent about $30 million per year less than the MLB average from 2018-24.
Detroit hasn't made a significant foray into free agency under Chris Ilitch outside of 2022, which backfired in the club's final offseason under former GM Al Avila with the signings of Javy Baez and departed pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez. Avila was fired that season and replaced a few months later by Harris, who said Tuesday, while sitting inside the world headquarters for Little Caesars Pizza in downtown Detroit, "I have confidence that the resources will be here."
"The Ilitch family has always supported the Tigers and they are ready and eager to do it. We just have to develop the core that we’re going to spend around, and we also have to target the players in the upcoming winters that can really help us," Harris said.
Last offseason, the Tigers made one meaningful addition to their lineup by trading for Mark Canha and picking up his $11.5 million option. The veteran outfielder has been one of their steadiest hitters. They also signed 22-year-old infielder Colt Keith to an extension that could be worth up to $82 million over nine years. The rookie struggled mightily out of the gate, but has been much better in May. Harris is otherwise banking on continued growth out of Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson and Kerry Carpenter.
On the pitching side, the Tigers gave a two-year, $24 million deal to Kenta Maeda, who has a 5.80 ERA through eight starts, and a one-year, $14 million deal to Jack Flaherty, who has a 3.84 ERA through 10 starts. The latter has quietly been one of the best signings of the offseason, but the Tigers have wasted a mostly-strong pitching staff, headlined by Tarik Skubal and Reese Olson, with another below-average offense. They rank 18th in runs scored.
Of the top 10 teams in payroll last year, including the World Series champion Rangers, six made the playoffs and eight finished with a winning record. Of the bottom 10 teams in payroll, four made the playoffs and five finished with a winning record. Only three bottom-10-payroll teams have a winning record this year: the Brewers, Guardians and Orioles.
The Tigers are 26-27 entering Tuesday night's game against the Pirates, who are 25-29 with the second lowest payroll in the majors. Detroit responded to a four-game skid last week by taking three of four over the weekend from the Blue Jays, but the club is in fourth place and 9.5 games out of first in the AL Central.
"We’re a young team that’s still finding our way," Harris said. "We’ve shown some flashes of really exciting play on both sides of the ball. I think we’re searching for that consistency that comes with the maturation of young hitters and young starting pitchers in the big leagues.
"With youth often comes variance, and I think we’re living that week to week here, but we’ve seen a lot of positive signs under the hood and some of those are translating to performance in recent weeks."