Detroit Tigers Could Go After Former All-Star Ace in MLB Free Agency
The Detroit Tigers are set to head into the offseason with the knowledge that they are good enough to compete in the American League and potentially even do more than just compete if they make the right moves and improve following their improbable run to the postseason.
Led by one of the bets young cores in baseball along with Tarik Skubal suddenly becoming the best pitcher in baseball, there are reasons for optimism heading into 2025 after the team showed serious flashes down the stretch of the 2024 season. Of course, the team is far from a finished product, but they proved this season, to ownership and management, that they might not be that far off from contention.
One of the top areas that needs to be addressed this offseason is a starting pitcher to slot into the second spot in the rotation behind Skubal. While the hope can certainly be that top propsect Jackson Jobe will be that guy, Detroit must bring someone in during free agency or via trade as well.
One potential option could be Walker Buehler of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who will become a free agent this offseason after struggling through injuries over the last three years. Clay Snowden of Just Baseball mentioned Buehler as a possible option for the Tigers behind Skubal.
"Walker Buehler is a name that will be brought up," Snowden wrote. "He had a rough year coming back from injury but offers upside and the idea of a one-year deal feels more likely. He threw seven different pitches last year and I wonder if the Tigers think they could tinker with his sinker and slider/sweeper to find his old form."
Buehler has had a rough go of it over the last three seasons. In 2022, his season was cut short due to arm issues which led to him missing the entire 2023 season after having Tommy John. Returning in 2024, Buehler posted the worst season of his career with a 5.38 ERA in 16 starts. He has not been his old self since 2021 when he had a 16-4 record with a 2.47 ERA and 212 strikeouts in 33 starts during what was the best season of his career.
If the Tigers can get Buehler, who is still just 30, on a 1-year deal it's worth at the very least taking a chance on him. Giving an arm who has not performed in three years a lucrative, multi-year contract is probably not in the cards, but Buehler has shown enough talent and produced enough in his career to earn the benefit of the doubt that he can still turn things around.
