Detroit Tigers: 3 under-the-radar pitchers the Tigers should sign
By Eli Paszek
The Detroit Tigers are in a precarious position moving into the 2022 season. They have plenty of talent in their core starting trio of Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal, and Eduardo Rodriguez, and their bullpen has a strong group in Kyle Funkhouser, Michael Fulmer, Gregory Soto, and Tyler Alexander. However, there is a little bit of a depth issue.
For starters, the Detroit Tigers’ bullpen depth is pretty close to horrendous. Not to slight Joe Jimenez and Alex Lange (who by the way, I’m quite high on), but there is a definite need to fill gaps. There are very few left-handed options, and a couple of injuries could really decimate the high leverage roles, given the low minor league depth possibilities.
Plus there are concerns on the starting front. How will Matt Manning perform in an everyday role? Who is the 5th starter? Will they go with an opener/follower strategy?
Ultimately, there are more questions than answers, and with two massive signings this offseason (E-Rod and Javier Báez), Chris Illitch may be unwilling to spend big on the last big names of free agency. That brings us down to the sleeper possibilities.
I’ll preface these names by saying that these are not the all-star caliber players. These are the types to get a minor league+bonus contract with a Spring tryout. These are depth options that could turn the season around, but likely won’t win a Cy Young, or even play a starring role, for that matter.
With that out of the way…