4 Realistic Free Agent Starting Pitchers Detroit Tigers Can Pursue This Winter
The Detroit Tigers head into the offseason with a defined list of needs in order to improve and take the next step and become a legitimate World Series contender.
At the top of the list of priorities is starting pitching behind Tarik Skubal. While Skubal was absolutely phenomenal in his unanimous Cy Young 2024 campaign, a lack of help behind him was a huge reason why the team's miraculous playoff run did not go on quite as long as it could have. When Skubal wasn't on the bump, A.J. Hinch had to piece together bullpen games, something that is not exactly conducive to winning a championship.
Here are four realistic names Detroit could pursue to add to the rotation and give themselves an even better shot in 2025:
Nathan Eovaldi
Over the last two seasons, the veteran has logged over 300 innings. Even though he is about to turn 35 years old, he is still a reliable sub-4.0 ERA pitcher who can be counted on to give quality starts. On top of that, for a team looking to find more success in the postseason, Eovaldi has been a critical piece for World Series runs both with the Rangers and the Red Sox and was at his best when the lights were brightest. Due to his age, he will not command a long-term deal, something that might be the most attractive factor for the Tigers.
Sean Manaea
Manaea is hitting free agency at the right time after the Mets took a chance on his upside last year with a two-year deal that contained an opt-out after 2024, something that was a no-brainer for him to take after his 3.47 ERA season. While Manaea won't be had for pennies, he is certainly in that second tier of available starters and will likely not approach nine figures. How aggressively Detroit should pursue him depends on which version of him they think they can get.
Justin Verlander
Who wouldn't love a reunion with one of the best players in franchise history on an affordable one-year deal to finish off his career? Spending 12 seasons with the Tigers from the start of his career until 2017, the three-time Cy Young winner is unquestionably one of the best pitchers of the generation. The injuries Verlander struggled with in 2024 at the age of 41 were the first real signs of decline he's shown, but perhaps a reunion with the team it all started with could put him back in the right headspace.
Roki Sasaki
This one is the dream scenario. The 23-year-old Japanese sensation is going to have a mostly level playing field with regards to suitors due to age restrictions in his free agency. In other words, if the Tigers lose Sasaki to the Dodgers, it won't be because they offered him a mega deal that Detroit couldn't compete with. A devastating arsenal led by a nasty splitter, Sasaki is a future star in the MLB and has been reported to potentially prefer a smaller market team with a good development system. If the Tigers can convince Sasaki to come to the Motor City, he and Skubal will form the best 1-2 punch in baseball.
