Days of Roar: A Free Press Sports Detroit Tigers Podcast

3d ago

With the Winter Meetings in the books, Evan Petzold and Chris Brown break down on "Days of Roar" the Detroit Tigers' bullpen upgrades, signing Kyle Finnegan to a two-year contract and Kenley Jansen to a one-year contract with a club option. Can both veteran relievers maintain their past success in the 2026 season? There are reasons for confidence — and reasons for concerns. We also add context to the Drew Anderson signing, then debate the next player to lose a spot on the 40-man roster: Justyn-Henry Malloy or Bailey Horn? Baseball America prospects writer Geoff Pontes joins the show to analyze the Tigers' farm system, including the loss of RJ Petit in the Rule 5 draft, the acquisition of Johan Simon from the Toronto Blue Jays in the Chase Lee trade and the Tigers' updated top-10 prospect rankings, featuring Kevin McGonigle, Max Clark, Hao-Yu Lee and Max Anderson, among others — but not Thayron Liranzo. To wrap up, Petzold and Brown evaluate the starting rotation, including the trade rumors surrounding Tarik Skubal and whether the Tigers are making a mistake by not pursuing frontline starters. Follow Evan on X/Twitter here. Read Evan's most recent work here

Dec 12

In this special "Days of Roar" bonus episode, Evan Petzold welcomes USA TODAY Sports MLB columnist and insider Bob Nightengale to recap MLB's Winter Meetings in Orlando. Evan and Bob discuss the biggest storyline of the 2025-26 offseason: Will the Detroit Tigers trade Tarik Skubal, and if not, where will the back-to-back American League Cy Young winner sign after the 2026 season — with 10 years, $450 million as the expectation? Do the Tigers have a chance to sign Alex Bregman if his market collapses again, or is he destined to return to the Boston Red Sox, even on another short-term contract? At the Winter Meetings, Kyle Schwarber signed with the Philadelphia Phillies, Edwin Díaz signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Pete Alonso signed with the Baltimore Orioles. What happens to free-agent position players such as Kyle Tucker, Cody Bellinger, Bo Bichette, and what about free-agent pitchers like Framber Valdez, Tatsuya Imai and Ranger Suarez? For more on the Tigers, Evan and Bob discuss the chances of the Tigers winning the AL Central in 2026 — and what moves the Tigers need to have a chance to win the World Series. Follow Evan on X/Twitter here. Read Evan's most recent work here

Dec 8

The Winter Meetings are underway in Orlando, and the Detroit Tigers arrive with several storylines to follow. On "Days of Roar," Evan Petzold and Chris Brown discuss the signing of right-hander Drew Anderson to a one-year contract. He will show up to spring training as a starter, but will he ultimately become a reliever? We break down what to watch with the Tigers at the Winter Meetings, including big updates on Alex Bregman's free agency and Tarik Skubal's trade situation. Other topics about the Tigers include the pursuit of another starter for the rotation and the remaining high-leverage relievers to upgrade the bullpen. Boston Red Sox radio voice Will Flemming joins the show to discuss Bregman's market, his impact in Boston's clubhouse in 2025 and whether a reunion with the Red Sox is the most likely outcome. He also endorses an all-in Skubal trade for the Red Sox, even though Skubal is set to become a free agent after the 2026 season. To wrap up, Evan and Chris provide — and break down — mock trades for Skubal with the Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees. Follow Evan on X/Twitter here. Read Evan's most recent work here

Dec 2

On "Days of Roar," Evan Petzold and Chris Brown evaluate the Detroit Tigers with one week until MLB's Winter Meetings. Right-hander Dylan Cease kicked off free agency this offseason with a seven-year, $210 million contract from the Toronto Blue Jays, raising questions about left-hander Tarik Skubal's market next offseason. We break down agent Scott Boras' latest comments about third baseman Alex Bregman — and whether the Tigers truly need his leadership. We dig into the Tigers' interest in right-hander Michael King in free agency, then break down how president of baseball operations Scott Harris should spend his remaining $35 million (if the payroll target is $175 million). Greg Jewett, a bullpen expert, joins the show to analyze the relievers on the free agent and trade markets, including the best fits for the Tigers. He discusses everything from top-tier options to under-the-radar candidates, plus he reacts to the breaking news of right-handed reliever Devin Williams signing with the New York Mets. To wrap up, Brown digs into a bigger-picture organizational question: Do the Tigers have a pitching problem? Follow Evan on X/Twitter here. Read Evan's most recent work here

Nov 25

The Detroit Tigers continue shaping their roster for the 2026 season, headlined by Gleyber Torres accepting the one-year, $22.025 million qualifying offer. On "Days of Roar," Evan Petzold and Chris Brown break down how Torres' return impacts the offseason plan, what the infield looks like with him locked in at second base and where top prospect Kevin McGonigle fits into the picture. Rogelio Castillo from "Tigers Minor League Report" joins to discuss the five prospects protected by the Tigers from the Rule 5 draft: Trei Cruz, Hao-Yu Lee, Jake Miller, Thayron Liranzo and Eduardo Valencia. Those five players are the newest members of the 40-man roster. We also discuss the Tigers' decision to non-tender Andy Ibáñez while tendering contracts to the other 11 arbitration-eligible players, including avoiding arbitration with guaranteed contracts for Matt Vierling, Jake Rogers and Beau Brieske. Follow Evan on X/Twitter here. Read Evan's most recent work here

Nov 18

On "Days of Roar," Evan Petzold and Chris Brown recap a busy week of offseason news for the Detroit Tigers and look ahead to some big decisions, including Tarik Skubal winning the 2025 American League Cy Young Award (becoming the first AL back-to-back winner in the 21st century) and Gleyber Torres preparing to decide whether to accept or decline the one-year, $22.025 million qualifying offer. We focus on the latest information about Skubal's future, plus we unpack everything we learned from general manager Jeff Greenberg about the Tigers' plan for free agency and trades. New Tigers reliever Dugan Darnell — a Michigan native — joins the show to discuss being claimed off waivers, his journey from Adrian College, his memorable MLB debut with the Colorado Rockies and his recovery timeline after hip surgery. We also analyze top prospect Kevin McGonigle after he won the Arizona Fall League MVP. The No. 1 question: Will McGonigle make the 2026 Opening Day roster? Follow Evan on X/Twitter here. Read Evan's most recent work here

Nov 11

The Detroit Tigers are gearing up to make moves in the 2025-26 offseason as the general manager meetings get underway in Las Vegas. On "Days of Roar," Evan Petzold and Chris Brown break down whether Gleyber Torres will accept or decline the qualifying offer, the biggest needs to improve the roster, the shopping list in free agency and the projected payroll, including how much money the Tigers could spend. Later, former MLB general manager Jim Duquette joins the show to discuss the biggest story in baseball: Tarik Skubal. What should the Tigers do: extend him, trade him, keep him? Duquette offers insight into dealing with agent Scott Boras, Skubal's potential free-agent value, Jack Flaherty's decision to accept his $20 million player option, Torres' qualifying offer and the Alex Bregman saga. Evan and Chris also look ahead to the 2026 season, picking three pitchers and three position players they're most confident in — and the three pitchers and three position players they're least confident in. Follow Evan on X/Twitter here. Read Evan's most recent work here

Nov 6

The Detroit Tigers' offseason is officially in motion after the Los Angeles Dodgers won the 2025 World Series. On "Days of Roar," Evan Petzold and Chris Brown ("Tigers Minor League Report") react to coaching staff changes, Jack Flaherty's decision to accept his $20 million player option and Dillon Dingler becoming the Tigers' first Gold Glove winner since 2016. Lance Parrish — an eight-time All-Star, six-time Silver Slugger and three-time Gold Glove winner — joins the show to discuss several topics, including the direction of the Tigers, Dingler becoming the No. 1 catcher, the origin of his "Big Wheel" nickname and Lou Whitaker not being in the Hall of Fame. We also analyze if the Tigers will extend the qualifying offer to Gleyber Torres, and if so, will Torres accept? Follow Evan on X/Twitter here. Read Evan's most recent work here