Tigers should capitalize on shunned Red Sox starter after Boston's pitching trades

It's been a frustrating offseason for Tigers fans, who listened to Scott Harris and AJ Hinch make promises after Detroit's ALDS exit that the front office wasn't actually prepared to fulfill. They re-added Gleyber Torres and Kyle Finnegan, but have only signed two pitchers, to mixed reviews.

Patience and belief is wearing thin, but there is still time for the Tigers to add. Anderson will have to compete for a rotation spot in spring training, which leaves the door open for the Tigers to sign a real starting pitcher.

The starter market has perhaps been the slowest-moving so far this offseason, and even if the Tigers aren't willing to shell out for Ranger Suarez or Framber Valdez, there are a number of B/C-tier pitchers who would at least be easier to bet on than Anderson.

They could look to former Red Sox starter Lucas Giolito, who shared a high school rotation with Jack Flaherty (and Max Fried). Giolito declined his end of a mutual option with the Red Sox and isn't on the market with any strings attached, as Boston didn't give him a qualifying offer. He would certainly be a fixer-upper of sorts, but the Tigers worked wonders with Flaherty in 2024 (and will hopefully do so again in 2026), and they would be able to get Giolito at a discount.

Tigers could target former Jack Flaherty teammate Lucas Giolito as Red Sox fill rotation

Giolito said that he remains open to rejoining the Red Sox but also understands that Boston's additions of Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo make that a very distant possibility (if it's not fully already out of the question). He's been working on reintroducing a sinker and retooling his changeup to help sell himself to a different club.

In 2025, he enjoyed his best season since his 2021 campaign with the White Sox, which earned him Cy Young votes. He missed 2024 entirely after a non-Tommy John elbow procedure and about a month in 2025 with a hamstring strain, but he stayed healthy for the rest of the year and pitched 145 innings for a 3.41 ERA.

He left $19 million for 2026 on the table, but if the Tigers could get him for a Flaherty-esque contract (two years, $35 million with escalators) based on the bounce-back success he had in Boston, he could be a worthwhile project and maybe even an acceptable No. 2 behind Tarik Skubal.