What’s the Current State of the Detroit Tigers Rotation?
The Tigers will return next season with the reigning AL Cy Young leading their rotation. Beyond Tarik Skubal though, many questions exist.

Rewind to roughly one year ago. The Tigers had added Jack Flaherty and Kenta Maeda to a rotation with Tarik Skubal, an emerging Reese Olson, and former first round picks Casey Mize and Matt Manning. The talk throughout spring training was focused on which arm was the odd man out showing how deep their rotation looked…on paper.
By the end of the season the Tigers had coined the term “pitching chaos” due to their lack of starters leading to what could only be described as, well, chaos. While the results were surprisingly good, you could not rely on that strategy over the course of 162 games, and the Tigers know that.
Despite having a Cy Young in the rotation, starting pitching was a clear need this winter. Scott Harris identified, and signed, a veteran pitcher looking to reclaim his form in Alex Cobb.
Cobb, 37, comes with 13 years of experience but was limited to only three starts in 2024 due to injury. The type of project and challenge the Tigers have shown they are not scared of.
With Cobb signed, the question becomes do the Tigers have enough starting pitching or do they need to add more? The improbable import, Roki Sasaki, was a pipe dream from the beginning and all but inked elsewhere.
As of today, the rotation options are some combination of Tarik Skubal, Reese Olson, Alex Cobb, Jackson Jobe, Kenta Maeda, Keider Montero, Ty Madden, Matt Manning, Casey Mize, and Sawyer Gipson-Long. In order to get a feel of where the rotation stands, I want to group these pitchers in buckets based off projection.
Bucket 1 – Top of the rotation, an Ace or clear number two in a rotation.
Bucket 2 – Middle of the rotation. Think a typical number three, maybe has two upside but back of the rotation floor. Usually comes with question marks.
Bucket 3 – Back of the Rotation. Number four or five, first call up, maybe too many question marks to be higher but has that upside.
Bucket 4 – Depth. Preferred minor league starter or developing prospect that could factor in later in season.
Bucket 1
Options: Tarik Skubal
Let’s take a minute and just think back on the season Skubal had. How many memories he left us with along the way and how he came up big time after time. A triple Crown season, Cy Young, All-Star, all while pitching a career-high 192 innings. That last part is the most underrated aspect.
Skubal had dealt with an injury that shortened his 2022 and 2023 seasons, but came back strong and showed he could handle the workload of an ace. You need that in a rotation.
A pitcher you can rely on every fifth day to pitch deeper into games and save the bullpen. He did that, and at a remarkably high level.
Can the Tigers count on Skubal having a similar season in 2025?
Rarely does the production he put up get matched. Not because a player is worse, but to pitch at that level back-to-back seasons is beyond elite. However, his 2023, which was only 15 starts, was on par with his Cy Young season.
Tarik Skubal is one of the best for a reason. Expect another sub-three ERA with lots of strikeouts and few walks. He’s earned the right for that to be the expectation. Detroit needs him, and staying healthy is key.
Bucket 2
Options: Reese Olson, Alex Cobb
I wish I could put more pitchers in this bucket, but I had too many questions about them to do so. I nearly bumped Cobb to three with his track record being the only thing keeping him in two.
Olson is one of the more fun development stories in baseball. Not a particularly highly rated prospect who has developed into an exciting piece in the Tigers rotation. He does a good job at missing barrels with a high percentage of his contact coming on the ground.
His his elite slider and plus changeup already producing high whiff rates, his strikeout numbers could continue to climb as he settles into his pitch mix. If the staff can get more out of his fastball he could really take off. Hopefully he comes back healthy and we see what a full season looks like.
Cobb has posted sub-four ERA’s in each of the past four seasons. There’s no doubt in my mind that he can, and will, be effective and post solid numbers, but coming back from injury at 37 years old is tough.
He’s bounced back from injury to post 140+ inning seasons twice, which is why I left him here. He’ll rely heavily on a splitter and sinker which should produce groundballs, something he’s excelled at throughout his career.
Bucket 3
Options: Jackson Jobe, Casey Mize, Keider Montero
I can already hear some of you calling me names for not having Jobe higher. Let me be clear, I expect him to eventually be higher, but not necessarily for the majority of 2024.
I broke this down in greater detail here, and I want to manage expectations for a rookie with so few innings in the upper minors. He can start in Triple-A if the Tigers see it as the best path to get his innings in later in the season. High-ceiling pitcher who just needs some experience.
Montero flashed at times last season. He still needs to refine his fastball command and work on finding ways to eat innings when your best stuff is not there. His slider and curveball have the stuff to elevate him and only time will tell how much of a jump he has made this offseason.
By now I think we know what Mize is. A decent back of the rotation option who relies heavily on balls in play to be hit at defenders. His fastball has not turned into a pitch he can rely on and batters hit .306 off the pitch last year. There’s a floor with Mize but his ceiling is sinking.
Bucket 4
Options: Kenta Maeda, Matt Manning, Ty Madden, Sawyer Gipson-Long, Brant Hurter, Joseph Montalvo, Jaden Hamm, Troy Melton, Lael Lockhart
Let’s get the first two names out of the way. Maeda started the year looking like pitching was a new language he was trying to learn before a move to the bullpen washed a bad taste out of our mouth.
Not a full-on brushing, but a swish of Listerine. I would not be surprised if he’s a passable No. five, but I’m not holding my breath.
Manning has evidently fallen out of favor. A similar blurb to what I said about Mize with less confidence shown from the organization. I’m not certain he’ll be a Tiger through spring.
The rest of the names are still prospects. I prefer Madden out of the bullpen but I imagine they let him start in Toledo. Personally, I like Gipson-Long and what he can offer but after a missed season and no track record there’s too much left up in the air. I’d rather have Hurter out of the bullpen in the long relief role, which the Tigers like a lefty option in.
The rest are trending toward options later in the season. Lockhart’s fastball velocity limits him but his breaking pitches will catch your eye. If they need a quick call up he might be near the front of that line. Hamm made a name for himself but would need to fly through the upper minors, which is possible but not likely.
Do the Tigers Need Another Starter?
By now I have probably tipped my hand on what my answer would be. I am in the boat that adding a starter is needed. In recent years, I’d say roll with what you have and give these young arms a longer leash. Well, the expectation isn’t building towards something in the distant future.
The goal is winning this season and you cannot leave this many question marks in the rotation.
An option many will look towards is Jack Flaherty. He was magnificent in his half season with the Tigers and by all indications enjoyed being part of the organization. I would be in favor of bringing him back but only at the right amount of years and money.
Adding anyone to the payroll, with term, makes a Skubal deal less likely. One could argue that he has already priced himself out of Detroit and if you believe that, signing someone to a longer term deal would be fine and provide insurance for what might be Skubals departure.
I land more towards the path from last offseason. Sign veterans (Flaherty and Maeda) on shorter-term deals. With Cobb signed, you can turn your attention towards starters who would not command the money and term that turns the Tigers away.
I keep coming back to the idea of adding a lefty such as Andrew Heaney or Jose Quintana.
Heaney added a sinker that he threw at times and I would if the Tigers could work with that pitch and get more out of him. Quintana continues to be productive but adding another pitcher over the age of 35 might be scary.
You might be able to add a non-roster invitee with higher money guarantee if they make the Opening Day roster. That list is too long to name and less enticing.
While starting pitching might not be the number one need, it is still a need in my eyes. Although I must say, this staff has done enough with pitchers that I should learn not to question their process.