The Detroit Tigers unfortunately fell under the description of a fall from grace this season. Going into 2026, the Tigers had high expectations, coming off back-to-back postseason appearances with a roster filled with potential (on paper) for a deep playoff run.

The baseball Gods had something different in mind for the Tigers in 2026. Detroit missed the playoffs, sold at the trade deadline, and finished in fourth place in the AL Central with a 76-86 record.

Their step back is exactly that: a step, not a leap or jump, which is encouraging for the offseason and 2027.

However, the step comes with negative repercussions because, according to MLB.com, the Tigers are on the brink of falling out of the league's Top 20.

Tigers Power Ranking Reveal

MLB.com's Will Leitch ranked Detroit as the 19th-best team in the league heading into 2027. While it is a way-too-early power ranking, the Tigers aren't poorly ranked, especially since the Top 10 rankings are compiled from teams that made the postseason, headlined by the World Series champion Milwaukee Brewers.

The bullpen and inconsistent hitting plagued the Tigers in 2026. But with Kenley Jansen now a free agent, Jacob Waguespack returning on a one-year deal, and young options like Keider Montero and Drew Anderson who can fill both bullpen and starting rotation needs for cheap, the Tigers have money to spend this offseason to improve both 2026 problems.

Detroit's offense is sneaky: some games they're unbeatable, while in others they're noncompetitive.

Take May for example: 6 wins, 22 losses. Then take a look at July: 15 wins, 9 losses. They may not have superstars up and down the lineup, but they've got guys who can carry the load of improvement into future seasons.

Kevin McGonigle, Riley Greene and Dillon Dingler all earned All-Star nods this past season; the offense has the pieces it needs to succeed next season.

A full season of Max Clark should provide an uptick in the rankings once the season gets underway or even deeper into this offseason. Clark started to show his comfort level in the batter's box, which will only help Detroit start inching its way back into the Top 15.

Or better yet, if other young hitters such as Hao-Yu Lee, Ben Malgeri, and Eduardo Valencia prove this year wasn't a flash in the pan, the youth movement in the Motor City should be able to prove the way-too-early power rankings wrong.

Signing an established closer this offseason could easily rank the Tigers above the Baltimore Orioles and New York Mets, both of which currently stand in front of them in the power rankings. President of Baseball Operations Scott Harris said the franchise would be active in free agency, but is unlikely to build through it.

For a bullpen that struggled historically last season and the uncertainty that Will Vest can return to his closing pitcher role in 2025 after two surgeries that ended his 2026 campaign, prioritizing a dominant, established arm out of the bullpen not at the end of his career could kickstart what the offseason for this franchise could be.

Are the Tigers' current power rankings fair? It's in the range. Is there work to do this offseason that can actually help them climb the ranks before the eventual opening day of 2027? Definitely.