Detroit Tigers: 3 recently elected free agents the Tigers should pursue

Drew Hutchison

Does anyone else remember when Hutchison went 13-5 with the 2015 Toronto Blue Jays, despite a 5.57 ERA? Good(?) times. Anyway, Hutchison is a pending free agent and while his 2018 numbers weren’t great, he has shown enough in the last few seasons to merit consideration as a minor league free agent who could compete for the No. 5 spot in the rotation. He also has the flexibility to be a starter at Triple-A, or a swingman for the big club if needed.

After his odd 2015 season, Hutchison spent 2016 pitching well at Triple-A before he ended up with the Pirates. He spent all of 2017 in Triple-A, earning a 3.56 ERA and a 7.00 K/9. 2018 saw him pitch meaningful big league innings, split between the Dodgers and the Rangers.

All told he threw 42.2 innings in 16 appearances (five starts). His 6.75 ERA was higher than his 6.54 K/9, which is never a good sign.

However, he had a 2.14 ERA in 42 Triple-A innings, so if nothing else Hutchison would be a solid rotation piece at Toledo who could come up in a pinch and provide decent innings. This team dealt with Ryan Carpenter last season, so Hutchison would at least be better than that.

The Detroit Tigers have plenty of ways to improve their roster before the 2019 season. These are just a few options that GM Al Avila and his team could consider.