Detroit Tigers: Outlining the 2024 rotation after latest signing

Taking a look at the Detroit Tigers 2024 starting rotation.

The Detroit Tigers made a move recently, turning the hot stove up a bit. The team agreed to a two-year contract with right-handed pitcher Kenta Maeda. The 35-year-old right-handed pitcher is coming to Detroit on a two-year, $24 million contract.

But, with the Detroit Tigers bringing on another arm, they will be pressed to move around the rotation. Plus, the team is getting Casey Mize back, meaning some shifts are coming to the Tigers' starting rotation.

There's been a lot of work to be done this off-season, and securing some improvements in the rotation is one of them. While Maeda's addition is solid, more may be on the horizon. Adding someone like Seth Lugo to the mix could benefit the Tigers and strengthen the rotation as a whole. Depth is a key piece for the Tigers as they try to build the rotation.

Mize is returning from Tommy John, Skubal is the team's no.1, and there will be pressure on the top of the rotation to go toe-to-toe with some big-name arms. So, some insulation for the rotation and extra depth could become an essential factor for Detroit in 2024.

This may mean adding another arm on the free agent market before Spring Training. With that in mind, let's talk through each of the Tigers' projected starters that will make up the rotation in 2024. This could also very well change if the Tigers make another move.

1. Tarik Skubal - LHP

The Detroit Tigers will be relying on their ace again in 2024. Tarik Skubal has been the team's best arm over the past few seasons, stepping up in Mize's absence. While Skubal missed time in his own right, undergoing flexor tendon surgery, he was back on the mound in 2023 for the Tigers.

Skubal may not have gotten many starts, managing just 15 starts in 2023 for 80.1 innings pitched, but he did manage to hold hitters off for the most part. Skubal pitched to a 2.80 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP and walked only 14 while striking out 102 opposing hitters.

I'd expect Skubal to be the team's go-to arm once again in 2024, headlining the Tigers rotation as the "ace," even if Mize is back on the mound in 2024.