Detroit Tigers: 5 biggest needs heading into the offseason

Starting pitching

The Detroit Tigers need more out of their starting pitchers. They didn’t even eclipse 500 innings pitched this season. That’s not a recipe for success. With Casey Mize likely out for all of next year, and Tarik Skubal likely to miss at least half of 2023, they may need to sign more than one starting pitcher to eat some innings for them next season.

The good news is that they’ll get Spencer Turnbull back. But coming off Tommy John surgery, you never know how a pitcher will respond. Matt Manning, Eduardo Rodriguez, Beau Brieske, Joey Wentz, and others are all internal options to fill the starting rotation in 2023.

But they are going to need to look outside the organization. Luckily, there are a plethora of options to choose from in free agency. Personally, I would love to see them sign Carlos Rodon, who is likely to opt out of his deal with the Giants. He’s coming off back-to-back Cy Young-caliber seasons. Health has always been a concern with him, but he’s been healthy each of the last two years, and the results speak for themselves.

Unfortunately, he’s probably out of the Tigers price range. He’s probably looking for a long-term deal now that he has proven himself. Someone who’s not out of their price range is another former Giant in Tyler Anderson, who’s coming off a career year with the Dodgers.

In 2022, Anderson had 2.57 ERA and a 3.31 FIP. His strikeout to walk ratio was 4.06, which is something that the Giants usually covet. Again, given Harris comes from the Giants organization, that could be something the Tigers look for in their starting pitchers now. Other potentional free agent options include Taijuan Walker, Jameson Taillon, Jose Quintana, and Jake Odorizzi.