Detroit Tigers Seen as 'Likely' Destination for Reunion with Former Cy Young Winner

The Detroit Tigers have had a quiet offseason despite the hopes that they would make a splash or two after an impressive year.

It was a special season for the Tigers in 2024. They were finally able to get over the hump and snap what was a lengthy playoff drought. The strong second half of the year carried over into October for Detroit as well.

In the American League Wild Card Round, they were able to beat the Houston Astros, proving that they could contend.

This offseason, expectations are far different for the Tigers after the playoff win. However, this was a team that had numerous flaws in 2024.

Coming into the winter, adding a bat to the middle of their lineup and a front-end starting pitcher to pair with Tarik Skubal were the main priorities. However, Detroit has yet to achieve that.

There are still some good players on the market, so the Tigers might not be done just yet.

Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report recently spoke about some of the most likely landing spots for the top free-agents who are unsigned. For the Tigers, he mentioned a reunion with former star pitcher Max Scherzer being one of the most likely destinations for the free-agent starter.

“The Tigers are the obvious sentimental favorite, as it'd be fun to have him return to where he first became a star. They could certainly use at least one more starting pitcher, too.”

A potential reunion with Scherzer would certainly be fun for Detroit, considering the nostalgia that it would bring. However, it could also help the team in 2025.

Bringing in veteran leadership that has been successful in October is important for a team that is still very young.

While age and injuries would be a concern about how much he would be able to help, he did pitch well in 2024 for the Texas Rangers despite missing time. Last year, the 40-year-old totaled a 3.95 ERA in 9 starts.

Going back to 2023, when he split time with the New York Mets and the Rangers, he pitched quite effectively as well. That campaign, he totaled a (13-6) record, 3.77 ERA, and 3.2 WAR.

Even though the right-hander might not be a Cy Young candidate anymore, he can still be an effective pitcher in the league, as shown by his last two seasons. Hopefully, he can stay healthy, which can be a challenge at his age, but the future Hall of Famer still has some gas in the tank, it seems.

The Tigers have some depth in their starting rotation already, but aside from Skubal, there are still a lot of unknowns. While Scherzer likely wouldn’t be the top-end starter that they should desire, he can certainly help his former team in 2025.