Detroit Tigers Urged To Make One More Major Pitching Addition This Offseason

The Detroit Tigers entered the MLB offseason with as much positive momentum as any team in the sport.

Their unprecedented run in the second half, overcoming a double-digit deficit in the standings to earn the second wild card spot in the American League, was the kind of comeback story you would usually see in a Disney movie.

With a very strong core emerging, many people were expecting the front office to augment that group with some established veterans to help push things to the next level.

To this point in the offseason, that has not occurred.

The Tigers have signed only two players to Major League deals and both of them were one-year, $15 million deals; second baseman Gleyber Torres and starting pitcher Alex Cobb.

Torres could be a major addition to the lineup in desperate need of some pop. But it is fair to wonder if adding him and moving Colt Keith to first base will provide the kind of improvement the team is hoping for.

Cobb is a huge risk in the starting rotation given how many injuries he battled in 2024. He made only three regular season starts and doesn’t seem like the best addition to a group that was derailed last year because of injuries.

Of course, Detroit may not be done adding talent to the roster.

They are still squarely in the mix for Houston Astros star third baseman Alex Bregman, who would present a massive upgrade at the hot corner. The Tigers don’t currently have an everyday option to turn to and being a right-handed hitter with power would help balance out the lineup.

However, the one move that Jim Bowden of The Athletic would love to see the team make is having a reunion with starting pitcher, Jack Flaherty.

“If he’s healthy, re-signing Flaherty would significantly upgrade the Tigers’ staff and really enhance their chances of returning to the postseason. Even though there could be some medical risk, they could sign him to a one-year contract with a high average annual value in the $20 million range, like the Red Sox did with Walker Buehler. Overall, Flaherty went 13-7 last season with a 3.17 ERA over 28 starts. He struck out 194 in 162 innings.”

Ahead of the 2024 campaign, Detroit signed him to a one-year deal as he was coming off an underwhelming 2023 with the St. Louis Cardinals and Baltimore Orioles.

He put together an incredible 18 starts, getting his career back on track. Flaherty recorded a 2.95 ERA across 106.2 innings with 133 strikeouts.

Arguably the best pitcher available on the market ahead of the deadline in July, Detroit traded him to the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he performed at a solid level and helped them win the World Series.

A one-year balloon contract certainly wasn’t what Flaherty was expecting to sign this winter, as many projections had him landing a lucrative multi-year deal.

However, given how well he performed with the Tigers last season, returning to them and pitching another full season would likely be enough for teams to be comfortable handing him a multi-year contract after the campaign, especially if he can put to rest any concerns about his health.