Detroit Tigers Among Best Fits for Veteran Pitcher Luis Severino in Free Agency
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The No. 1 need for the Detroit Tigers this offseason is reinforcements for their pitching staff.
Last year, manager A.J. Hinch used “pitching chaos” to eat up innings behind Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal. He would use openers with bulk pitchers coming in behind them or bullpen games to navigate the schedule.
The elite performances of the staff helped the Tigers make a remarkable turnaround after being sellers at the deadline. But, they know that isn’t a sustainable strategy and need to find more traditional starting pitching.
There are some options on the roster who will fill in behind Skubal. A healthy Reese Olson would be nice to have and star prospect Jackson Jobe got his first taste of the Major Leagues, along with fellow youngster Ty Madden.
While they have plenty of upside, adding some established veterans to the mix would be a good idea. With an ace already in the mix, Detroit doesn’t have to go to the top of the market for help; there certainly wouldn’t be anything wrong with signing Corbin Burnes or Max Fried, they’re just not under pressure to do so as other clubs are.
Instead, they could aim for mid-tier free agents and save some money to use elsewhere on the roster.
Who would fit into that category?
One player to keep an eye on is Luis Severino. After a strong 2024 campaign with the New York Mets, he is hitting the market seeking a multi-year deal and the Tigers have been named one of the best fits for him by the MLB experts over at The Athletic.
“Utilizing a sinker for soft contact and early outs, Severino made 31 regular-season starts and threw 182 innings — or nearly as many as he’d compiled in his previous five seasons combined. He was a reliable mid-rotation starter for New York, consistently keeping the Mets in games and taking big starts in the postseason. With his health and innings re-established, Severino thinks there’s more in the tank, notably how to bring back an elevated strikeout rate.”
Earlier in his career with the New York Yankees, he looked like a star in the making. Injuries derailed that, but he did a wonderful job with the crosstown rivals this past summer rehabbing his value and proving to be healthy.
Severino was reliable and held up in October during the postseason as well, pitching 16.2 innings and giving up six earned runs.
That has played a part in Tim Britton of The Athletic projecting him to sign a three-year deal for $50 million. Not too bad for a player who settled for a one-year, $13 million contract last offseason.
Severino isn't the first former Mets pitcher to be linked to Detroit either, as they are leaving no stone unturned when it comes to finding pitching help.
Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.