3 key questions the new Detroit Tigers GM needs an answer to

3. ‘How do the Detroit Tigers avoid the pitching collapse they faced last season?’

Somehow the Detroit Tigers have again skated by injuries to their pitching staff. Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal, Matt Manning, Michael Pineda, and Eduardo Rodriguez have all spent significant time on the injured list, with Rodriguez spending an extended period on the restricted list as well. This doesn’t even account for the depth they’ve lost.

Casey Mize is out much of next season already, Tarik Skubal might be, and Michael Pineda was signed to a one-year contract, to begin with. 2023, at the moment, could look something like Spencer Turnbull, Eduardo Rodriguez, Matt Manning, Beau Brieske (assuming his injury is not serious), and Tyler Alexander.

There are a couple of nice depth pieces in there, but if this season has taught the team anything, it’s that they should not be afraid of having too many pitchers in the fold and replacing the #7 and #8 starters with #3’s and #4’s would do worlds for their chances.

It’s worth a look to see if there is anything systemically that the Tigers are doing that could be contributing to this string of arm injuries they have recently dealt with, but at large it isn’t a question of if a pitcher is going to get injured as much as it is when.