Detroit Tigers Named as Fit For Veteran Starting Pitcher in MLB Free Agency
The Detroit Tigers have some holes to fill on the roster after a miraculous end of season run that saw the team go from 9.5 games out of the playoffs in late August to making it in and securing a Wild Card round victory over the Houston Astros.
While things came to an end the following round in a heart-breaking five game series against the division rival Cleveland Guardians, the players currently in the clubhouse demonstrated that they are not far away from contending for a championship. Detroit sold at the deadline and unloaded one of their best starting pitchers in Jack Flaherty, who would go on to be a massive contributor to the Dodgers World Series run.
Meanwhile, A.J. Hinch had to piece together bullpen games on days where Cy Young ace Tarik Skubal couldn't pitch, a strategy that can only take you so far in the postseason. Adding starting pitching behind the ace must be one of the top priorities this winter. One player who could be an interesting fit is Boston Red Sox veteran Nick Pivetta, who Clay Snowden of Just Baseball named as a realistic possibility for the Tigers.
"If you want another arm in the rotation who can strike guys out, Pivetta might be a perfect fit," Snowden wrote. "A fastball heavy pitcher that only sits about 94 mph, but with almost 20 inches of induced vertical break the movement helps miss bats. He also started using his sweeper much more last season (+20%) and produced a 35% whiff rate....Many projections have him in the three-year, $60 million range. This would give the Tigers a solid veteran arm while also ensuring someone is under contract from that rotation in two years."
Pivetta is far from a perfect option as Snowden pointed out and has issues with giving up too many home runs. But for a guy that could be picked up at a reasonable price and instantly upgrade the rotation, Pivetta is certainly an intriguing option.
He officially became a free agent as of Tuesday afternoon when he declined the qualifying offer from the Red Sox valued at just over $21 million, which would mean that any team who wants to sign Pivetta would have to forfeit some draft capital in the second round.
Keep an eye on Detroit for Pivetta in the free agent market.
