Detroit Tigers Free Agent Signing Opens Up About Dealing With Injuries
The Detroit Tigers haven’t been overly active this offseason, as they have a few holes remaining to fill on their roster.
One of the moves that they did make addressed a major need on their roster. Earlier in free agency, the Tigers signed veteran starting pitcher Alex Cobb to a one-year contract worth $15 million.
It is a deal that fits the mold of what Detroit has done with its pitching staff in recent years, signing players to short-term deals. But, there is one major difference: age.
Cobb will be 37 when the 2025 campaign gets underway. Eduardo Rodriguez and Jack Flaherty were 30 and 28 years old, respectively.
That is part of the reason many analysts have panned the Cobb signing as an overpay in addition to what the veteran righty brought to the table in 2024. He battled a ton of injuries which resulted in him making only three starts in the regular season.
Cobb was productive in those three starts, pitching 16.1 innings with a 2.76 ERA with 10 strikeouts. However, he didn’t get the job done in his single postseason start, as the New York Yankees hit him hard in the ALDS, as he surrendered three runs in 2.2 innings.
It was certainly not the ending he was hoping for in his career, as he knows that could have been the end.
“I know you don’t get to choose the way it ends,” Cobb said, via Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic, “but it would have been a pretty bitter taste in my mouth to walk away from this game on a year like last year.”
Luckily for the well-traveled veteran, he will have a chance in 2025 to put his struggles from last year behind him. He isn’t taking this opportunity for granted, as he knows that other players in his position weren’t afforded.
The opportunity has motivated him to put the work in this offseason to ensure that he is in a position to succeed with his new team.
“You start getting reinvigorated, excited and picturing yourself in different scenarios,” he said. “Then you get yourself back into the gym and you start working out and start throwing again. And you convince yourself that you can not only do this, but do it at a very successful level.”
The money being offered was certainly incentivizing, as Cobb can earn up to $17 million if he reaches 140 and 150-inning thresholds. He has only reached 150+ innings once in the last six seasons; 2023 when he made the All-Star team with the San Francisco Giants.
President of baseball operations, Scott Harris, was with the Giants front office when the veteran signed with the franchise ahead of the 2022 campaign.
That relationship could have certainly helped, but the Tigers were aggressive early on and knew that Cobb was the guy they wanted.
Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.