Detroit Tigers could turn veteran pitcher’s career around in MLB free agency

Detroit Tigers are about to enter the most critical offseason in a long time as the team looks to exploit the 2024 weaknesses that prevented the most unlikely postseason outcome from becoming a Cinderella story for the ages.

Detroit was eliminated from the ALDS by its division rival. Cleveland Guardians in the deciding Game 5, but it was a rocky road to get there after he had nearly double-digit games in late August before reaching the playoffs and beating the team Houston Astros in the Wild Card round. If only the Tigers had more reliable starting pitching behind them. Tariq Skubalthe run could potentially last even longer.

Finding quality guns to add to your rotation should be a top priority this winter, as there are many quality titles available. Detroit could go in many directions, from spending a lot of money to a couple second ace with Skubal just try to fill the rotation with solid starting pitches without breaking the bank. One player who could imagine a balance between both strategies is Boston Red Sox starter Nick Pivetta. Roger Castillo from FanSided called Pivetta a guy Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris should covet as someone with a high ceiling and a player the team’s elite coaching staff can get the most out of.

Harris knows he can sell by improving pitchers, and Pivetta, who has been inconsistent at times for Boston, would give the Tigers someone who could give them pitching that their starters couldn’t do outside of Skubal in 2024,” Castillo wrote.

Pivetta definitely won’t be cheap, rated by Spotrac at $60 million over four years, but that’s still far less than what the top names in free agency would cost. As Castillo noted, Pivetta is a strikeout specialist and would be a perfect complement to Skubal. Pivetta spent four seasons in Boston and never had an ERA below 4.0, but he became consistently hard an innings eater who knows how to get people out.

$15 million per year might be a little steep for a player of Pivetta’s caliber, but if Detroit can get that number down just a little, he could be a perfect fit and seamlessly transition into the Tiger rotation.