Alex Cobb's name resurfaces just in time to potentially ruin Tigers' trade deadline

Generally speaking, a team receiving positive injury news about one of its players close to the trade deadline is a good thing. But for the Detroit Tigers and Alex Cobb, it could be anything but.

The Tigers brought Cobb in on a one-year deal in what has so far turned out to be a massive bust of a free agency signing last offseason. The 37-year-old has yet to pitch in a game for Detroit, as he has been sidelined with injuries to both hips since spring training. He had made three previous rehab starts from late May to mid-June but had to be pulled off the rehab assignment due to renewed soreness in both hips.

Cobb's second attempt at a rehab assignment began Tuesday at High-A West Michigan, where he threw 31 pitches (18 strikes) over two innings and allowed one earned run while striking out four. While the results were certainly serviceable, they simply cannot lure Scott Harris and the Tigers into a false sense of security ahead of Thursday's trade deadline.

Alex Cobb's name resurfaces just in time to potentially ruin Tigers' trade deadline

When the Tigers lost Reese Olson for the season with a shoulder strain earlier this week, they moved quickly and acquired Chris Paddack from the Minnesota Twins to add a healthy arm to the back of their rotation. However, the move was purely reactionary and will do little, if anything, to move the needle in the Tigers' playoff push.

Cobb will still attempt to make it back to the Tigers at some point during the final two months of the season – but can you really say "back" if he never made it there in the first place? Either way, his determination is admirable, but it's still no safe bet that it will happen. In fact, the safer bet would probably be that it won't.

The Tigers are still in search of some reinforcements behind Tarik Skubal in the rotation, especially come playoff time, but they shouldn't use Cobb's positive rehab start as an excuse to limit themselves in any capacity when it comes to securing upgrades for a playoff push in 2025 and beyond.

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