Jordan Westburg Is a Risk Worth Taking for the Detroit Tigers

Last winter the Detroit Tigers front office silenced many doubters and proved they had the means and willingness to sign a big-ticket free agent, signing Framber Valdez to a $115 million contract. That wasn’t all. Detroit leaned into pitching, adding franchise legend Justin Verlander along with future Hall of Famer Kenley Jansen. A clear focus: pitching and experience.

However, the Tigers made no outside changes to their lineup. Rookie Kevin McGonigle was obviously a major addition internally, but no one from outside of the organization was deemed worthy. You could say the free agent market was weak and you’d have an argument. Who knows what trades were available. But what we do know is that the Tigers have room to add and must do so this winter.

Reports surfaced over the past week that the Baltimore Orioles have made everybody except Pete Alonso available for trade. It wasn’t long ago that many of these players were discussed in a potential Tarik Skubal trade, but Baltimore has nosedived and is in need of a shakeup.

Could the O’s and Tigers be trade partners this winter? One name keeps coming to mind – Jordan Westburg.

What Jordan Westburg Would Bring to the Tigers

Westburg was the 30th overall pick in the 2020 draft and debuted with Baltimore in 2023. A highly rated prospect, Westburg had a fine stint in his debut season before breaking out to a .264/.312/.481 slash with 18 home runs and a 125 wRC+ across 107 games in 2024. He followed that up with a very promising 2025 where he slashed .265/.313/.457 with 17 home runs and a 115 wRC+, but several injuries limited him to only 85 games.

A different injury this time as an elbow injury caused Westburg to miss all of 2026 with Tommy John surgery. Baltimore tried different avenues to avoid TJ, but in the end it was Westburg’s best option. So, Westburg does come with some injury risk, but not to the level some might think. All of his injuries happened in the span of a year, which is not quite enough for me to label a player as “injury prone.” Plus, I think the talent is worth the risk.

Westburg is one of those players who’s just solid across the board. He would bring a power boost to the Tigers infield while also giving them more speed and improve their defense. He’ll come with some whiff and questionable swing decisions, but the offensive upside is better than several options already on the roster.

Keep in mind we’ve only seen 260 games from Westburg as a major league player. Although he’s 27 years old, he’s not a finished product. I think what we’ve seen from him is the type of floor or baseline that the Tigers desperately need in their infield.

Right now, Detroit has three players who hit 20 or more home runs last year in Riley Greene (21), Dillon Dingler (27), and Spencer Torkelson (26). We know Kerry Carpenter has the power to breach 20, but he’ll have to stay healthy. McGonigle hit 18 last year and I think his power is only going to continue to improve.

Now imagine another 20 plus home run hitter in the lineup. Westburg’s power is different from someone like Torkelson, who doesn’t offer much else but a home run threat. Westburg is a better all-around hitter.

Another attractive part of acquiring Westburg is that he comes with three years of control. The 2027 season will be his first year of arbitration, which should be a relatively low-cost, and Detroit would have two additional years, which should not break the bank.

Greene, Torkelson, and Carpenter are to mean that they have one more year of team control. Javier Baez also has his contract set to expire after the 2027 season. Adding Westburg would give the Tigers another everyday player to help protect against losing any of the names mentioned above.

Power, speed, and defense all sounds great. Now, how would you fit him into the lineup?

Westburg’s Lineup Fit

The puzzle that has become the Tigers’ infield has another piece. Is McGonigle an everyday shortstop or will he play third? We saw him split time between the positions in 2026 and I do not think we have clarity on where he plays, full-time, in 2027. How about Colt Keith? Where does he fit in the lineup? DH, third, second? Has Hao-Yu Lee earned a long look at second or will he be a platoon partner with Keith?

Regardless of the answers, Westburg can be a solution. Westburg has played 148 games at third and 120 at second to start his career. In my opinion, the best fit would be McGonigle at short, Westburg at third, and Keith and Lee platooning at second. I think Keith and Lee’s best defensive position is second base, even if their defense is still underwhelming at the position.

If the Tigers view Westburg as a better fit at second, this opens the door for a free agent signing to fill third. The ability to play either position does not force the Tigers into making one off-season move at any one particular position, but rather allows them to add another bat with the ability for it to be either third, second, or even short.

While some might argue the need for a right-handed hitter has been overblown, I do think it is important. As of today, Dingler and Torkelson are the only lineup locks that bat right-handed. Adding Westburg’s righty bat would not only help lengthen the lineup, but also balance it. I would rather have Torkelson batting sixth or seventh with Dingler and Westburg higher in the lineup, but where exactly Westburg would land is still a question.

I loved the role Gleyber Torres played as the number-two hitter, and maybe Westburg could replace him, but they are different types of hitters. Westburg does not hit at nearly the clip Torres did, nor does he put the ball in play as often. However, he does have 251 plate appearances in the two-hole slashing .252/.287/.403, which isn’t great.

I’d rather have Westburg higher in the lineup, even if he has spent the majority of his time in the five through eight holes and has been most successful there. The sample size isn’t large in any one spot, but he has hit one through nine which is at least worth noting.

Honestly, who cares where he slots in. At the end of the day, Westburg is a high upside bat that would be an immediate upgrade from relying too heavily on Keith and Lee, and to me that’s an important piece to add.

Final Thoughts

Scott Harris and company have made bargain-bin signings, traded away Cy Young winners, and signed a big-ticket free agent. What we have not seen is him trade a young player or prospect to improve the roster immediately. At least not in a significant way. With a weaker free agent market now could be the chance to scratch that off the list.

Westburg isn’t a slum dunk. I’m sure plenty have concerns about his injury past and maybe the Tigers will be scared away from his inability to draw walks or “control the strikezone”, as the Tigers so often say. But, no player is perfect, and I think Westburg is a better option than what could be had in free agency.