To no one's surprise, the Tigers non-tendered infield utility man Andy Ibáñez at the November deadline. It was a tough decision to make on the guy who singlehandedly kept the Tigers' 2024 postseason alive, but Ibáñez just wasn't doing his job anymore. Jahmai Jones emerged as the go-to, lefty-killing pinch-hitter, and Detroit had to make way to an influx of infield prospects knocking on the door.
Ibáñez had been in limbo ever since. He had some respectable seasons with the Tigers — even if he wasn't the same player Tigers fans had come to know and love, he still had an above-replacement-level year in 2025 — but it seemed unlikely that he'd find anything more than a minor league deal in his forced free agency.