DETROIT — Remember when reports surfaced late in September saying the Tigers and manager AJ Hinch were nearing an agreement on a contract extension?

“Those reports were baseless,” president of baseball operations Scott Harris said Monday with a wry smile.

They were baseless because Hinch and the Tigers agreed on a contract extension at midseason. They just didn’t announce it.

“I absolutely love working with AJ,” Harris said, during the team’s season-ending media conference at Comerica Park. “He’s one of the best managers in the game. We have now proactively extended him twice because we want him to be here as long as he willing to be here and I want to work with him as long as I possibly can.

“It was one of the easiest conversations I’ve had because he wants to be here and we’re both bullish on the future of this organization and we are proud of what we’ve done.”

The Tigers, as per organizational policy, don’t make public the contract terms for the manager or coaching staff.

Hinch, 51, ranks eighth on the Tigers’ all-time managerial wins list with 394 in five seasons. He’s guided the team to the playoffs and eight postseasons wins over the last two years.

“I love it here and I love working with Scott,” Hinch said. “This was the second time I was approached and asked for more and it’s an immediate yes for me. When you have an environment that both pushes you and satisfies you, I was thrilled.”

Once he got the OK from his wife and family, he signed the deal. With one stipulation: that it wouldn’t be made public during the season.

“It’s hard to look at where you are personally in the middle of the season,” he said. “Which is why my one request and Scott’s one request was that we just do it and not talk about it. It’s about the players during the season, it’s about winning and we had a lot of games left.

“We didn’t want to be a distraction.”

Hinch and his family have been growing roots in the Detroit area over the last three years, since Harris signed him to the first extension before the 2023 season.

“I can’t tell you how proud I am to be the manager of the Tigers,” he said. “It’s a rewarding place to be. We’ve bought a home here. We live here the majority of the year and we continue to become more and more Michiganders as a family.

“I am grateful for Chris (Ilitch, chairman and CEO), for Scott, for Jeff (Greenberg, general manager). All of us are on board to bring a World Series here. That’s why I want to be here.”

Hinch said there would be discussions later this week about his coaching staff. It’s possible there will be some changes.

“We evaluate every possibly way we can get better,” he said. “I think our staff answered a whole lot of the challenges we’ve been given and all of that is in a really good place. But we wouldn’t be doing our jobs if we didn’t debrief about our entire group.

“But I am really proud of this group of coaches and the culture we’ve created.”

DETROIT — Maybe this will be therapeutic in the wake of that soul-crushing, 15-inning, Game 5 loss in Seattle on Friday night. Spin the highlight reel:

• April 4, home opener: Kerry Carpenter thrills the sellout crowd with two home runs against the White Sox.

• April 8: Spencer Torkelson, Zach McKinstry and Dillon Dingler all homer in the fourth inning against Yankees starter Carlos Corrasco in a 5-0 win.

• May 2 in Anaheim: Riley Greene makes history, becoming the first player ever to homer twice in the ninth inning. Colt Keith and Javier Báez also homer in that eight-run ninth.

• May 8: The Tigers finish a 10-game road trip exploding for 21 runs in a doubleheader sweep in Colorado. They score 79 runs in the 10 games, second most in franchise history and at 25-13, establish their best start since 2014 and own the best record in baseball

• May 9: Finally home, Tarik Skubal strikes out 12 Texas Ranger hitters, getting a club-record 32 swings-and-misses in seven innings.

• May 12: They respond to their first home series loss of the year by scoring nine runs in the third inning against Boston and starter Tanner Houck in a 14-2 win. They have accrued 228 runs in 42 games, their most since 2007.

• May 13: Again against the Red Sox, Báez homers twice including a three-run walk-off in the 11th inning after Boston scored twice in the top of the 11th.

Remember all these good times?

• May 25: After losing a heartbreaker to the Guardians the night before, Skubal puts the team on his back, throwing a complete-game shutout in 94 pitches — a Maddux, in other words. But the first ever Maddux with a 13-strikeout exclamation point.

• June 2 in Chicago: Carpenter continues his assault on White Sox pitching, whacking three homers, becoming the first Tiger to homer three times in a game since Victor Martinez in 2016.

We had some fun, right? Watching the Tigers become the first team in baseball to win 30 games, first to win 40, first to win 50, first to win 60. Watching them run the bases like demons, going first to third more times, and with a higher rate of success, than any other team, led by McKinstry’s 74% extra-bases taken percentage.

Watching Greene and Torkelson racing toward 20 and then 30 home runs. Seeing Greene tap into his light-tower power — the 471-footer he hit over the batter’s eye in Sacramento and the 454-foot rocket he hit in Game 5 of the ALDS.

Seeing Greene stamp his place in Tigers history, joining Hank Greenberg as the only Tigers to amass 31 doubles, 36 homers and 111 RBIs at age 24 or younger.

Watching Wenceel Perez throw out two Oakland runners at second base in the same game on June 24. Watching him again a few days later in Cleveland, fire a 97.9-mph seed to the plate to throw out Bo Naylor in a 2-1 Tigers’ win.

Watching Báez, the Gold Glove shortstop, make one sensational play after another in center field, filling in while Parker Meadows and Matt Vierling were injured.

Having six players selected to the All-Star game as they amassed 59 wins at the break.

Watching Skubal take his performance level a step higher after winning his first Cy Young Award last year. Watching Casey Mize reinvent himself as more of a power pitcher, ripping 90-92 mph sliders and 90-mph splitters off 95-96 mph heaters. Watching Will Vest grow into an attack-dog leverage reliever. Watching rookie Troy Melton burst on the scene as both a starter and reliever.

Watching Dillon Dingler blossom right before our eyes, at the plate and behind it. It’s very rare for a team to lose its starting catcher in April and subsequently get better.

All that stuff happened. It’s just gotten buried under the rubble of a late-season swoon that cost them the division title and the heartbreak of Game 5. But it shouldn’t be dismissed.

“We are a good baseball team,” Skubal said. “We didn’t accomplish the trophy, but there’s a lot to be proud of and work off of.”

The Tigers season ended in the same place it did last year, with a Game 5 loss in the ALDS. The core of the team also took a step forward. Both things can be true.

“Even in the rough September, we took steps forward,” manager AJ Hinch said. “It’s not all about the record when you’re learning. Unfortunately, we put ourselves in harm’s way a little bit, but we battled back to get the win in Cleveland, to get the win in Boston, to get the series win in the wild card, to take this about as far as you can take a series.

“We are growing up.”

A friendly reminder that Keith is 24, Greene 25, Meadows 25, Perez 25, Torkelson 26, Dingler 27, and Carpenter 28, and none have more than two years of accumulated MLB service time.

“Based on last season, being able to get some experience in the postseason, it’s easy to forget how young we are and that we’re still learning,” Hinch said.

There’s still a lot of work to do, both individually and with the roster. President Scott Harris and his staff face a critical winter. There is going to be more internal growth, for sure, but it might be time to strengthen a few areas with proven, veteran talent.

As the bats went steadily quiet over the last month and through the playoffs, the need to look outside the organization for another run producer or two became acute.

Harris will also again be busy shopping for pitching, starters and relievers.

But those issues will be discussed in the weeks ahead.

For now, we put the 2025 season and all its manic highs and lows, all the massive accomplishments and biting disappointments, to bed.

“Our floor has been raised and we don’t know what our ceiling is,” Torkelson said. “We’re not satisfied making it to Game 5 of the ALDS. We want more. This stings, but we raised our floor and created a new standard of what it should be like.

“We need to keep it going.”

DETROIT – The Tigers activated veteran right-hander Paul Sewald before the game Thursday.

Sewald, whom the Tigers acquired from the Guardians at the trade deadline, had been out since July 11 with shoulder soreness. He returned from his final rehab appearance on Wednesday.

In corresponding moves, right-hander Codi Heuer was released off the 40-man roster. He has been out with a shoulder injury.

Also, right-hander Jose Urquidy was technically designated for assignment, but he has agreed to accept an option to Triple-A Toledo to stay in the organization.

Procedurally, there is a 24-hour wait period before that part of the transaction can be completed.

“He’s demonstrated the positives in what he can bring,” Hinch said. “He’s creative. He’s got multiple pitches. He is undeterred by any big environment. He’s got a weapon for both sides of the plate.

But we are also seeing the difficulty in coming back from a second major surgery. He’s a little rusty, a little erratic and spraying the ball a little more than he normally does.”

With five years of big-league service time, Urquidy could’ve refused the option. But, with the Tigers holding a $4 million option on him next season and his stated desire to be part of this staff going forward, he signed off on it.

DETROIT — Tarik Skubal is on track to make his scheduled start against the Guardians on Thursday, though manager AJ Hinch stopped short of saying it’s a done deal.

“We said we were going to go day by day and we have,” Hinch said before the game Tuesday against the Guardians. “He’s inching closer to his start day. Obviously we’re thrilled with the news that things were looking positive.”

Skubal on Monday threw his usual between-starts bullpen and felt none of the tightness in his upper rib cage area that forced him out of his start in Miami.

“Everything felt good,” Skubal said. “Just one of those weird things. I don’t really know how to explain it. But the bullpen went well, the scans came back good, so it’s on to the next one.”

He was asked if he held anything back in his bullpen session, just as a precaution.

“No, it was a normal working pen,” he said. “If anything, I probably worked a little harder just to make sure I was good to go. There was nothing there.”

Tigers Nation certainly gave a collective sigh of relief. Skubal, too.

“During the game, I was a little worried about it,” he said. “But once I came out and calmed down a little bit and ran through most of the tests with our trainers, I wasn’t too concerned after that.”

If the Tigers had taken care of business Tuesday (they lost in extra innings) and Wednesday, Skubal could have been on the mound with a chance to clinch the Central Division title Thursday.

“This series is going to be fun,” he said. “Cleveland is a good team and we tend to play good baseball games against each other. It starts (Tuesday) with Casey (Mize) and hopefully we win (Wednesday) with (Jack Flaherty) and hopefully sweep. That’s the division if the math works out. But it starts with (Tuesday), for sure.”

NEW YORK — The Detroit Tigers on Wednesday responded to an investigative article in The Athletic that detailed alleged incidents of sexual misconduct toward female employees and portrayed the organization as being a “boys club” where some women felt unsafe.

In a statement released through Ilitch Sports and Entertainment CEO Ryan Gustafson, the Tigers didn’t dispute the seven reported incidents against former employees. They took accountability for it, saying each was investigated promptly and each employee was terminated.

But the general culture of the organization, the club felt, was mischaracterized.

“We are committed to a culture of respect, safety, and inclusion,” the statement read. “We do not tolerate discrimination or harassment, and when concerns are raised, we investigate promptly and take decisive action, which has included terminating employees for misconduct, regardless of seniority or tenure.

“We are committed to accountability and to upholding the standards essential to our workplace.”

As the article mentioned, the seven employees cited for misconduct have either resigned, were fired or did not have their contracts renewed.

• Sam Menzin, former assistant general manager, cited for sending lewd photos to a female co-worker.

• Michael Lienert, former vice president of premium sales, accused of a number of things, including undisclosed dating of employees, bullying female employees, including an allegation of pushing a female down a flight of stairs.

• Josh Bullock, former vice president of business in Lakeland, cited for verbal and vulgar verbal attacks on men and women.

• Rob Gehring, former video content producer, cited for inappropriate conduct toward women.

• Peter Soto, former vice president of game presentation, accused of making inappropriate comments toward women.

• Also, former players and analysts Cameron Maybin and Craig Monroe were not brought back because of allegations of sexual misconduct.

More: Craig Monroe taken off Tigers’ TV minutes after sex-abuse claims came to light

“We are grateful to the employees who have spoken up here,” the statement read. “And to the more than 3,000 full- and part-time colleagues who contribute every day to ensuring a safe work environment.”

The Tigers contested one of the charges in the article, which claimed that Ben Fidelman, who is the vice president of communications and broadcasting, yelled at an employee and called her “stupid.”

The Tigers, like they did all the others, investigated the charges against Fidelman and found them unfounded.

“It is inaccurate and unfair to group Mr. Fidelman within a story about accusations of sexual harassment or related misconduct,” the statement read. “A concern unrelated to either was raised, and consistent with our process, it was investigated thoroughly, and no wrong doing was found.”

Ilitch Sports and Entertainment employs more than 3,000 people. The statement reiterated that each incident was taken seriously, investigated thoroughly and dealt with.

“We work hard every day to improve our workplace culture,” the statement read. “We encourage open dialogue and feedback, celebrate the contributions of our colleagues, and continue to invest in programs that support growth, well-being, and inclusion.

“Our colleagues have multiple channels to share input, supported by a strong human resources team that responds quickly to concerns. We also provide ongoing, company-wide training and education to prevent and address inappropriate behavior.”

The article also said Detroit is one of three MLB franchises that doesn’t offer maternity leave to pregnant employees. The Tigers were putting a 12-week maternity leave benefit in place before the article came out.

It is expected to be available before the end of the year.

DETROIT — He’s not ready to use the R word just yet.

But on Saturday, 37-year-old right-hander Alex Cobb notified the Tigers that he was going to shut it down for the remainder of the year and prepare to have a surgical procedure to alleviate the pain in his right hip.

“I’ve talked to some family about it and I can’t quite utter those words quite yet,” Cobb said of announcing his retirement. “Obviously, I realize that’s a big possibility.”

Cobb, who has valiantly tried to fight his way back from inflammation and pain in both his right and left hip all season, said he had his moment of clarity walking off the field Tuesday in Lehigh Valley, Pa.

After being shut down for seven days, he was scheduled to pitch two innings for the Toledo Mud Hens, his fourth Triple-A rehab outing. He made it through one.

“After the seven days I had off, I had a clear answer walking off the mound that it wasn’t going to work,” Cobb said. “I’d done everything I could and that was the best it was ever going to get and it wasn’t an acceptable product to put on the field or something where I could look to AJ (Hinch) or Scott (Harris) and tell them, ‘You can count on me.’”

Cobb talked to the media via zoom from his home in Arizona Saturday, his voice choking with emotion throughout. He was asked if he could take solace in the fact that he did everything humanly possible to get back — including getting multiple injections, platelet-based and steroidal.

“At some point I will,” he said. “I don’t have that right now. I’m disappointed. I knew with my mind the uphill battle I was going to have this year once I had (the inflammation) early in spring. But in my heart, I have envisioned being on the that mound pitching in the postseason and I just didn’t do it.

“It’s just been more of a gut punch not being able to do it and coming to that realization and knowing what comes next in my career and life.”

The next step, Cobb said, is to have a procedure called hip resurfacing. He had a more traditional surgery on his left hip in 2024.

“Guys who I’ve talked to who have had it, their eyes light up and they get a smile on their face,” Cobb said. “They say it’s the best thing you can ever do when you are in that type of pain and your hip isn’t working and you just want not to be in that pain and there is a solution.

“It’s very exciting to know that is going to be available to me.”

Cobb, who pitched 13 seasons in the big leagues and was an All Star in 2023, signed a one-year, $15 million contract with the Tigers in the offseason and went through his normal offseason training regimen without even a hint of an injury.

“Working out, throwing, I had zero pain,” he said. “I signed with the Tigers, passed the physical, everything looked great. Three or four weeks later, I was ramping up (for spring training), I was getting off the mound, full-go.

“Then I literally woke up one day and couldn’t walk.”

The surgeon who worked on his left hip had forewarned him that he would likely have similar issues with his right hip.

“When I sent him the images (of his right hip), I could hear it in his voice,” Cobb said. “He just said, flat-out, he told me, ‘I’m so sorry, the pain you are in.’ I told him I was fine but you could tell he knew I wasn’t going to be fine.”

Cobb said, unbeknownst to him, he had arthritis in the right hip all along. It wasn’t debilitating at first but the cartilage eventually collapsed and he was left with the ball joint scraping on bone.

“I can handle the pain, easily,” he said. “But it’s when the pain and stuff aren’t matched up and you are unable to overcome the pain and have quality outings. For me to be in a position to earn the right to be on this team, I would need to be reliable and I’d need to be effective. And I wasn’t.

“I wasn’t ever going to get to that point. But I wasn’t going to give up.”

He thanked the Tigers’ medical staff and the trainers for all the efforts they put in on his behalf.

“We didn’t leave any stone unturned,” he said. “We did a lot. We did some stuff that isn’t the norm of the baseball world and they went out on a limb and took care of me and tried to make it happen. It got me to a point where I was pitching again.”

Cobb said he plans to be back in Detroit before the end of the season to line things up for the surgery.

“It’s an exciting time to be in that organization and to be a fan of that organization,” Cobb said. “What they’ve done is such a short period of time, it’s why I wanted to sign there. I believe in Scott and I believe in AJ and what they’re creating

“The hardest part is not being able to put that uniform on and go out on that field be a part of what I’ve been watching for the last five months.”