It’s been quite some time since we checked in with Detroit Lions fans regarding their opinion of general manager Brad Holmes. The last time we polled our audience was almost exactly a year ago, following the team’s 2025 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, those poll results were lost to time (and a migration to a new content management system at SB Nation).
Detroit, MI
Detroit Tigers’ Scott Harris explains why team isn’t ready to spend big on roster yet
Detroit Tigers’ Scott Harris: ‘This is a talented group’
Detroit Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris talks to reporters February 14, 2024, at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Florida.
The Detroit Tigers aren’t going to increase payroll before building the foundation.
That’s exactly what Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said Tuesday afternoon on MLB Network in an 8-minute conversation with studio host Brian Kenny.
On MLB Network, Kenny asked Harris if the Tigers plan to spend like they used to. The Tigers had a top-six payroll in MLB for six seasons in a row, according to Spotrac, from 2012-17 under late owner Mike Ilitch, peaking at $200.2 million in 2016.
Harris believes Tigers owner Christopher Ilitch, Mike’s son, will increase payroll in the future, though he didn’t reveal a timeline.
“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,” Harris said on MLB Network, when asked if payroll will increase. “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 free agent signings in the upcoming winters.
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“I have confidence that the resources will be there. The Ilitch family has always supported the Tigers, and they are ready and eager to do it. I’m actually sitting in the world headquarters for Little Caesars because we have scouting meetings across the street at Little Caesars. I’m confident that the resources will be there. We just have to develop the core that we’re going to spend around, and we also have to target the players in upcoming winters that can really help us.”
The Tigers’ payroll ranks 23rd in the 2024 season, at $106.5 million, nearly $60 million lower than the average of all 30 teams. Javier Báez, a struggling shortstop signed to a six-year, $140 million contract by former general manager Al Avila, is making $25 million, which equates to 23.5% of the total payroll this season.
The Tigers ranked 20th in payroll last season, at $121.5 million.
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It’s unclear if the Tigers are close to completing the foundation, and therefore, it’s unclear if the Tigers are close to spending big like Harris believes will happen at some point.
Former No. 1 overall picks Spencer Torkelson and Casey Mize — drafted and developed by the Avila regime — aren’t performing like franchise cornerstone players, while former No. 5 overall pick Riley Greene is a streaky hitter for the third season in a row. Colt Keith, who inked a club-friendly contract extension before his first game, is starting to settle in as a rookie. Late-round picks Tarik Skubal and Kerry Carpenter have been steady studs, along with Reese Olson, but Skubal — an American League Cy Young candidate — is going to become a free agent after the 2026 season.
“We’re a young team that’s still finding our way,” Harris said of the 2024 Tigers, currently at 26-27 overall and in fourth place in the American League Central. “We’ve shown some flashes of some really exciting play on both sides of the ball. I think we’re searching for that consistency that comes with maturation of young hitters and young starting pitchers in the big leagues. With youth often comes variance, and I think we’re living 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.”
YOUNGSTER: Tigers rookie Colt Keith hits first home run of MLB career. It wasn’t a fluke
The Tigers only have two more full seasons of Skubal.
If the window isn’t open now, when will it open?
Jackson Jobe, a 21-year-old elite pitching prospect, isn’t close to getting out of Double-A Erie and seems more likely to make his MLB debut in 2025. Max Clark, a 19-year-old center fielder whom Harris selected No. 3 overall in the 2023 draft, is down in Low-A Lakeland playing alongside 19-year-old shortstop Kevin McGonigle, the No. 37 overall pick in 2023.
The bad Báez contract comes off the books after the 2027 season. After this year, Báez is owed $25 million in 2025, $24 million in 2026 and $24 million in 2027.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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4Warn Weather – SATURDAY: Mostly cloudy skies. A chance of showers and thunderstorms. A few storms could be strong with gusty winds and hail. High: 71.
SATURDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy skies, becoming partly cloudy skies late. Low: 45.
SUNDAY (MOTHER’S DAY): Mix of sunshine and clouds, cooler temperatures. High: 61.
SUNDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy skies. Another chilly night. Low: 41.
MONDAY: Mostly sunny skies, remaining chilly. High: 58.
After a beautiful end to the week on Friday with sunshine and a little cloud cover, with warmer temperatures moving into the region as well, some of us are waking up to some patchy dense fog on Saturday morning. Some places south of M-59 are seeing reduced visibilities down to around a mile. If you do run into some patchy dense fog, be sure to use your low beams.
That warming trend continues into the start of the weekend on Saturday, but it also brings a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Another cold front will work through the region by Saturday afternoon and early Saturday evening and that will bring our thunderstorm chance. High temperature is warming into low 70s by Saturday afternoon.
The Storm Prediction Center has placed most of the region under a Marginal Risk (1 out of 5) on our severe weather scale for the start of the weekend. Gusty winds and hail are the primary threats as we work through the start of the weekend, but this will not be a widespread threat for severe thunderstorms.
Behind that cold front for the end of the weekend on Sunday, we will keep a mixture of sunshine and clouds into the forecast. High temperatures running about 10 to 15° cooler to end the weekend. Expect high to warm into the upper 50s to lower 60s by Sunday afternoon.
Drier weather sticks around for the start of next week, before another chance of rain moves into the region by the time we get to Tuesday. The cooler-than-average temperatures will continue into the start of next week as well. Expect high temperatures to remain in the 50s for Monday and Tuesday.
Temperature start to warm up by the middle of next week, and Drier weather moves back in by Wednesday behind another cold front moving into the region. Expect high temperatures into the lower 60s on Wednesday to warm into the upper 60s by the time we get to Thursday. Above average temperatures move back into the region as we look ahead into the end of the week, expect high temperatures back into the lower 70s by the time we get to Friday.
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But as you can see below, Holmes has been an extremely popular figure among Detroit sports fans for pretty much his entire career.
Although, if there was a time when Holmes’ popularity took a hit, it was likely during the 2025 NFL season, when the Lions took their first clear step back since he and Dan Campbell came to town.
Since last year’s data was lost to time, this is a good opportunity to check back in with Lions fans. While Holmes certainly deserves a ton of credit for getting the Lions back to relevancy and helping them produce four consecutive seasons with winning records, there are some serious blemishes on his resumé now. The 2024 NFL Draft class has not lived up to his high standards through two seasons, some of his riskiest picks over the last few years have all failed to pay off, and last year’s roster just wasn’t good enough to withstand the injuries.
But Holmes is also coming off a very crowd-pleasing draft. Detroit addressed their two biggest needs with their first two selections, and there were no crazy head-scratching picks or expensive trade ups. Many have categorized his latest draft as “back to business as usual,” which could have some fans he lost back on his side.
However, that is all up to you. Vote on your thoughts about Holmes’ time in Detroit below, and share your extended thoughts in the comment section at the bottom of the page.
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