Detroit Tigers Predicted To Sign Veteran Starting Pitcher to $8 Million Deal
The Detroit Tigers are coming off a great run in the second half of the season, and the franchise will now be focused on improving in free agency.
There were few teams in baseball who were as good as the Tigers in the second half of the year, as they went on to sneak into the playoffs and dethroned the Houston Astros in the Wild Card Round.
While it was an impressive run for Detroit, this team is far from perfect and has a lot of work to do this offseason. Last campaign, the Tigers relied heavily on Tarik Skubal in their starting rotation, especially after trading Jack Flaherty to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
At the time, moving Flaherty made all the sense in the world, but they could have used the talented right-hander in the playoffs. Adding a pitcher of that caliber to be a No.2 starter behind Skubal will certainly be a priority this offseason.
Furthermore, the Tigets could use some more pop in their lineup. While they have a lot of young talent, adding a veteran bat in the middle of the order would be nice.
What and where the organization will be looking to spend on will be the real question, as Detroit could go in a couple of different directions. Recently, Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report predicted that the Tigers would be signing veteran pitcher Colin Rea to a one-year, $8 million deal.
“Rea is fresh off ranking second on the Milwaukee Brewers in innings. He did so with characteristically strong control, placing in the 81st percentile for walk rate. The long ball is an issue for Rea, but perhaps less so if he lands with a team that has a more forgiving home stadium. Not every team matching that description has a spot for him, but at least one does at the back end of its rotation.”
Despite a slow start to his career, Rea has been a fairly productive pitcher his last two seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers. After earning a spot in the rotation in 2023 and having an ERA of 4.55, the right-hander followed up with a 12-6 record and 4.29 ERA in 2024.
While Rea isn’t going to be the No. 2 starter that Detroit might be looking for, he would be a somewhat proven veteran that pitched over 160 innings last season at an affordable price. In terms of adding depth to the starting rotation, Rea wouldn’t be a bad pitcher to consider.
