Former Detroit Tigers High-Profile Pitcher Reportedly Searching for New Job

This former Detroit Tigers pitcher wants back into Major League Baseball.

Apr 25, 2023; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Spencer Turnbull (56) delivers a pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers in the first inning at American Family Field. | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

The Detroit Tigers' pitching staff this season is one of the best in baseball.

Talent that had already arrived and talent that was coming up the pipeline allowed the Tigers to let one of their former high draft picks walk away in free agency two years ago when they did not tender a contract to Spencer Turnbull after the 2023 season.

Turnbull, a former second-round selection for Detroit, showed flashes of brilliance throughout his career in the Motor City but is most remembered for not being able to stay healthy.

After leaving his first team and spending the 2024 season with the Philadelphia Phillies on a one-year deal worth $2 million, Turnbull remains a free agent a full two weeks into the 2025 season.

According to a report this week from Jon Heyman of the New York Post, however, Turnbull is actively looking for a job and even throwing for potential teams who may be interested.

Turnbull was actually very solid for the Phillies in 2024 with a 2.65 ERA, a 1.05 WHIP and the highest strikeout rate of his career (9.6 K/9).

But after making 17 appearances (including seven starts), Turnbull hit the injured list with a lat issue and never found his way back on the field again.

In six years with the Tigers after making his debut in 2018, Turnbull made a total of just 60 starts and barely cracked 300 innings (302.1).

The Alabama native simply has not been able to stay healthy for an extended period at any point in his career.

Heyman did not name specific teams who have attended Turnbull's workouts, though it feels unlikely Detroit would go down that path again, even on a minor-league deal.

Still just 32 years old, Turnbull is capable of winding up back on a Major League roster, but asking teams to commit guaranteed money to him is a tall order given his lack of reliability.

If Turnbull does sign somewhere, however, Tigers fans will certainly keep a close eye on him to see if he can get his career back on track.