Tigers GM's comments after Alex Cobb signing will make fans lose their minds

Um ... what?

Emma Lingan

Division Series - Cleveland Guardians v Detroit Tigers - Game 3 / Duane Burleson/GettyImages

After riding American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal and their bullpen all the way to a postseason appearance in 2024, the Detroit Tigers entered the offseason with a clear need to bolster their starting rotation.

Rumors abounded heading into Winter Meetings as far as which big-name free agent the Tigers could land to form a one-two punch alongside Skubal atop their rotation in 2025. A reunion with Jack Flaherty, perhaps? Or maybe Max Scherzer? Or Justin Verlander?

Nope. They signed former Cleveland Guardians right-hander Alex Cobb to a one-year, $15 million contract. And, according to general manager Jeff Greenberg, that's all they're doing.

"I think we're probably done for now," Greenberg said Tuesday at the Winter Meetings (via Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press). "Tarik (Skubal), Reese (Olson), now Alex, and we have seven or eight additional guys on our roster."

So, in review, the Tigers got a 37-year-old who pitched just 16 1/3 innings last year due to injury... and that was their big pitching addition?

The Tigers now have a grand total of three pitchers in their starting rotation. They also have top pitching prospect Jackson Jobe, but he'll have to earn a Major League rotation spot in Spring Training. At this rate, though, he won't really have any competition standing in his way.

Tigers' underwhelming free agency signing provides little optimism for starting rotation in 2025

Yes, the Tigers are still interested in pursuing coveted Japanese pitching phenom Roki Sasaki, but they'll face some stiff competition to land him. They'll also have a sizable amount of their international bonus pool money for 2025 tied up in No. 4 international prospect Cris Rodriguez, making it virtually impossible for them to outbid any of the other interested teams unless they trade for more bonus pool money.

The Tigers prioritize drafting and developing talent over spending in free agency. Still, for a team bursting with young talent and potential that looks to be just a few pieces away from contending, you'd think they would have aimed a little higher.

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Emma Lingan

Emma Lingan is an MLB Staff Writer for FanSided primarily covering the Pittsburgh Pirates. She has been covering baseball for more than a decade dating back to her time as a student at Wake Forest University, and she has won two gold medals as a member of the U.S. National Team delegation (2016 Pan-American Championships & 2017 World Baseball Classic). A native of Washington, D.C. and current resident of Nashville, Tenn., she is also entering her seventh season as a credentialed NHL media member and currently covers the NHL’s Nashville Predators for The Hockey News. When she's not watching hockey, baseball or football, she enjoys podcasting, reading, going to the gym, consuming large amounts of coffee and taking long walks with her dog, Minkah. You can follow her @Emma_lingan on Twitter and Instagram.