The Detroit Tigers are entering the offseason with some needs to their current roster and following a run to the ALDS the young kids got a taste of the postseason and maybe even hungrier in 2025, so why not add to veteran leadership? The lineup could certainly use a bat some have said at first base but the other option has been third base, there are some free agents available who just might make sense in those areas but what about the starting pitching market? While names like Corbin Burnes, Roki Sasaki, Max Fried, and Blake Snell may be nice it just doesn’t seem possible, maybe Scott Harris has a surprise up his sleeve, but we shall see. Right now, the expected starting rotation for March 27th against the Los Angeles Dodgers will be Tarik Skubal, Reese Olson, Casey Mize, Keider Montero, and Jackson Jobe; not a bad rotation by any means but what about bringing in two starters who helped Detroit with their last deep postseason run before this season in RHPs Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, they certainly aren’t by any means the arms they used to be but they could be valuable pieces to this team and this rotation and who knows what kind of work Chris Fetter could do with them to squeeze the last few ounces of dominance they just might have left in them.
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RHP – Justin Verlander
Verlander got his career started with the Tigers as they drafted the 6-5 235lb righty second overall in the 2004 MLB Draft out of Old Dominion University. He made his big league debut in 2005 going 5.1 innings giving up four earned runs on seven hits in a loss; he walked three and struck out four. He would pick up his first career win on April 8, 2006, going seven shutout innings giving up just two hits; he walked two and struck out seven. He would spend 13 seasons with the Tigers making 380 starts going 183-114 with a 3.49 ERA, a 3.48 FIP, a 1.19 WHIP, and 2,373 strikeouts in 2,511 innings. He would make 16 postseason starts with the Tigers going 7-5 with a 3.39 ERA, a 1.09 WHIP, and 112 strikeouts in 98.1 innings. The Tigers would trade him to the Houston Astros at the 2017 trade deadline. He would be with Houston until 2022 when he signed with the New York Mets for the 2023 season but he would be traded back to the Astros and pitched there for the remainder of 2023 and all of 2024. He’s made 526 career starts, he is 262-147 with a 3.30 ERA, a 3.42 FIP, a 1.13 WHIP, and 3,416 strikeouts in 3,415.2 innings. He was rookie of the year for the Tigers in 2006 and won the Cy Young and MVP awards with the Tigers in 2011 when made 35 starts taking home the triple crown winning 24 games and posting a 2.40 ERA, and 250 strikeouts in 251 innings.
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RHP – Max Scherzer
Scherzer was not drafted by the Tigers as he was selected 11th overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2006 MLB Draft out of Missouri. He was traded on December 8, 2009, in a three-team trade. He made his Tigers debut on April 7, 2010, against the Kansas City Royals going six shutout innings giving up one hit; he walked two and struck out three. He picked up his first Detroit win 11 days later going six innings giving up two runs on six hits; he walked one and struck out four.
Bottom Line:
You could likely get both on a one-year deal with an option for a second year if wanted. It would turn a rotation into Skubal, Olson, Verlander, Scherzer, and Montero which would be a fun rotation for the Tigers to have in 2025.
