3 early Detroit Tigers offseason rumors that should have fans really concerned

The Tigers are going after the wrong starting pitchers to replace Eduardo Rodriguez

Okay, maybe this is a little ungenerous to Seth Lugo, who appears to be newest apple of the Tigers' eye as a veteran starter to replace Eduardo Rodriguez. Lugo didn't have a terrible season; he pitched 146 1/3 innings and struck out 140 batters. He's a good, veteran pitcher, but he's also an aging one. 2024 will be his age 34 season, and any contract he signs will likely be two or three years long. News that the Tigers had missed out on 36 year old Lance Lynn before he signed with a one year, $10 million contract with the Cardinals baffled fans, given the 44 home runs that Lynn gave up in 2023.

If the Tigers have money that they clearly don't want to spend on position players, why don't they earnestly pursue pitching talent that will be able to stay with them and reliably give them 150+ innings for the duration of a contract? If the Yoshinobu Yamamoto rumors are true, then they're on a better track, even if their actual chances of getting him are slim. Why not pursue NPB's second best option, Shota Imanaga? Why not try to rehabilite Lucas Giolito, who had a much more promising few starts at the end of the season with the Guardians? Why not invite Michael Lorenzen back?

The bottom line is that the Tigers have plenty of good pitching options available on the free agent market, and they shouldn't be chasing after the ones who might only be able to give them one good year at most.

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