4 co-ace targets for Tigers after Jack Flaherty’s surprising opt in

The Tigers rotation filled back up to five when Jack Flaherty made the somewhat surprising decision to opt into the second year of his deal with Detroit. The move was met with some ambivalence from fans, as Flaherty turned into a monster in his last appearance of the season (Game 5 of the ALDS), but he was rocky throughout the regular season.

What's clear is that Flaherty isn't the No. 2 starter the Tigers thought he could be when they re-signed him, and there's no clear existing replacement. Casey Mize was a lot better this year but is maybe a No. 3 at best, Troy Melton still needs more innings, and Reese Olson is frequently injured.

Finding another starter is probably quite low on the Tigers' priority list this offseason now that they don't strictly need one, but there are a number hitting the free agent market and a few who could be on the trade block that the Tigers could consider.

4 No. 2 starter targets for Tigers after Jack Flaherty’s surprising opt in

Dylan Cease

Cease is arguably the top available starter on the free agent market, even though his days of total domination seem to be behind him. He still led all of baseball in strikeouts per nine innings this season and he's stayed perfectly healthy since 2022. He has a 3.67 ERA since then, but the Tigers could use that kind of swing-and-miss and sturdiness.

The Athletic predicts he'll make $174 million over six years in free agency; that's a lot of money that the Tigers might prefer to give to a position player, but a one-two punch of Tarik Skubal and Cease, even for just one season, would be fearsome.

MacKenzie Gore

FanGraphs and MLB Trade Rumors both predict Gore will make $4.7 million in 2026, his second year of arbitration eligibility. He had a decent season — 4.17 ERA in 159 2/3 innings — and the Tigers would like his two years of team control. Bob Nightengale reported that the Nationals are expected to use Gore "as the trade bait to kick-start their new era."

The Tigers have the prospect capital to make it happen, and a number of top prospects eligible for the Rule 5 Draft who they might not be able to protect on the 40-man roster. Washington will probably want a major league-ready player, but any of Jace Jung, Trey Sweeney, Justyn-Henry Malloy, Parker Meadows or Wenceel Pérez wouldn't be too hard for the Tigers to part with.

Zac Gallen

Gallen is more of a fixer-upper than any of the other starters on this list, but he was a Cy Young finalist in 2023 and could be a fun project for pitching coach Chris Fetter with the potential for high reward if the Tigers can get him back to his old form.

His struggles over the last two years would make him a more affordable option for the Tigers, and he's generally expected to sign a two-year, $40 million(ish) deal in free agency, which is comparable to what Detroit gave Flaherty last year (when you add in Flaherty's escalators).

Michael King

King was hurt for most of 2025, which definitely brought his stock down entering free agency this offseason. Still, he's seen great success since transitioning into a starter role with the Padres at the end of 2023, and placed seventh in Cy Young voting that year for a sub-3.00 ERA, 173 2/3-inning 2024 season.

The Athletic actually names the Tigers as one of the best fits for King alongside the Red Sox and Mets, and both are far more comfortable throwing around their money (and are probably more desperate to bolster their rotations after disappointing 2025 seasons), but the Tigers should still insert themselves into the conversation.