The Detroit Tigers Need a Plan With Kerry Carpenter

The Detroit Tigers have a crucial offseason ahead of them, as last year’s additions fell short of expectations. A team with a roster good enough to compete but still needing important additions is going to look different than it has over the past few seasons, when we’ve seen so many players return.

For a while now, the goal has been to allow these players to develop so that we can truly understand what type of players they are. Finding that answer not only takes time but also requires a large sample size. For several of these players, we’ve reached the point where we can confidently say what they are and how they will fit under the Tigers’ 2027 roster and beyond.

One player whose fit is becoming more and more complicated is Kerry Carpenter.

The often-injured, poor-fielding power bat, who hasn’t looked quite as effective as he did to begin his career, might find himself a victim of change. Yes, he’s a good player. I’d argue that the Tigers need a player of Carpenter’s caliber, but constructing this roster becomes more complicated.

The Good and Bad of Kerry Carpenter

If you’ve been watching the Tigers the past few years, you likely have a very clear idea of what Kerry Carpenter is and isn’t. When he’s at his best, he offers serious power and is a true threat in the middle of the order. He has a sweet swing that can lift the ball to all fields and change the course of a game on a single pitch.

Although power drives most of Carpenter’s value, he’s not just a three-true-outcome hitter. Well, at least not throughout his career. He sprays enough line drives to avoid being tagged as a power-only, high-strikeout profile. Part of the issue is that he’s been trending more and more in that direction.

Carpenter started his career walking at roughly a 7% clip with a 25% strikeout rate, but he hit for enough power and maintained a good enough average to post a high OPS. Over the past two seasons, we haven’t seen nearly as productive a hitter. In 2025, Carpenter posted a respectable 114 wRC+, but walked at only a 4% clip, dropping his OBP to .291 on the season.

Last season was by far the worst of his career. He posted a .208/.276/.416 slash line with a 29% strikeout rate and a 90 wRC+. Not only was it the worst production of his career, but it was also a continuation of what many would consider a downward trend. Personally, I don’t think 2025 was bad enough to really be considered part of a downward trend, but it’s worth noting.

The issue with Carpenter is that he has to be graded on a curve. As a platoon bat who doesn’t face lefties, Carpenter has to be significantly better than average, not just 10% or 12% above it, to carry much value. Add in his miserable defense, and he has to provide even more value for it to make sense.

While a lot of his stats throughout the years look good on the surface, even for a platoon bat, the margins between being productive and not are much slimmer for such a limited player. Oh yeah, did I mention the injuries?

Carpenter has battled injuries almost every season throughout his career. He played 118 games in 2023, 87 in 2024, 130 in 2025, and only 81 last season. Some of those numbers are skewed by him not playing against lefties, but injuries have been a serious issue. Perhaps that’s part of the reason why he struggled so much last season.

We all know that the talent is there, and there’s a very clear avenue for Carpenter to be an impactful player for the Tigers. But when you consider the defense, injuries, recent struggles, strikeouts, and so on, the question becomes whether he’s worth trying to fit into the roster.

The Fit Is Becoming More Difficult

When the Tigers are counting on Kerry Carpenter to be a strong-side platoon player for an entire season, the fit makes more sense. Of course, injuries have limited his ability to do that, and Colt Keith becoming the player he has makes this equation all that much more difficult.

Keith, another strong-side platoon bat who is limited defensively but doesn’t bring the same power, is under contract for several more seasons. I’m not going to say they can’t coexist; we’ve seen it over the past couple of years. But at some point, you need more complete players in the lineup.

Maybe the best plan of action is simply making Kerry Carpenter a DH and not asking him to play the field at all. We know the limitations that can have on lineup versatility, but the Tigers have to improve defensively, and addressing right field would be a good place to start.

Now, if Carpenter is the everyday DH, then Colt Keith becomes a second or third baseman. While I think Carpenter is the better player, Keith’s contract comes into play. If it came down to one or the other, I’d lean toward Keith.

The Tigers also have top prospect Josue Briceno on the way sooner rather than later. He’s another left-handed bat who would be better suited as a DH while offering a first baseman’s glove. While I wouldn’t let Briceno and/or Keith push Carpenter off the roster just yet, there is value in Carpenter that can be realized in ways beyond simply keeping him in the Tigers’ lineup.

Potentially a Trade Piece?

There’s a non-zero chance that Kerry Carpenter is used in a trade this offseason. If the Tigers value defense, which I think they need to, then Carpenter becomes an asset they can afford to move while still carrying enough value to bring back a useful player in return. The old saying, “You have to give something to get something.” Well, giving up Carpenter could make sense.

Maybe you prefer to use Spencer Torkelson in this type of trade scenario. I’m more than open to that. Which one actually has more value? I think the answer would vary depending on which GM you ask. I think Carpenter is a more complete hitter, but Torkelson has proven to be healthier while providing similar or better power.

As I walk through all the different paths the Tigers could go down this offseason, I just keep coming back to Kerry Carpenter being moved. It’s not because I don’t like him; it’s because they need a different type of player on this roster. I see a lot more options available to fill in or improve the outfield than I do at first base.

Carpenter is set to enter his second year of arbitration and is projected to earn in the range of $4 million to $5 million for the 2027 season. He’ll hit free agency after 2028. Torkelson is projected to earn around $8 million and will also hit free agency after 2028. You can make a fair argument for either one, but I’m going to go with the platoon player because he’s a really poor defender at an important position.

So what could the Tigers get back for Carpenter? I think you could get a quality young reliever with years of control. Maybe you can find a young infielder with two or three years of control who also helps improve your defense. Those are the types of players I’d be looking for. I think the Tigers should target someone who can help them in 2027 and has enough of a track record that they can count on him. It won’t be an All-Star, but it could be a reliable, solid player.

Final Thoughts

Who knows how this will all end up? I like Kerry Carpenter as a player and would be happy to see him on the Tigers in 2027. But I also understand that this team needs to make some changes, improve defensively, and find reliable answers for its lineup.

If Kerry Carpenter is what it takes to address other needs, I wouldn’t be against it.