Coming off their first playoff appearance since 2014, the Detroit Tigers set out to capitalize by forging ahead on the free agent market last winter. While they lost out on Alex Bregman, they were able to land Gleyber Torres who has revitalized his career in the Motor City and helped Detroit cruise toward a division title this season.
While Torres has been a success story, there are other signings that don’t pan out. That includes a pitcher that has yet to make his Tigers debut and is running out of time to prove his worth to the franchise.
Tiger Pitcher Alex Cobb Looks Like a $15 Million Free Agent Bust
After piecing their rotation together throughout the second half of last season, the Tigers tried to add some pitching depth by adding Alex Cobb last winter. The 37-year-old initially thought about retirement before Detroit called but was convinced to give it another season on a deal that included $1 million bonuses for 140 and 150 innings pitched.
The deal sounded good in theory, but as the season heads into the second half, it looks like Cobb should have stayed retired. Cobb has been solid over the past four seasons, going 24-19 with a 3.75 ERA, but his 2024 season with the Cleveland Guardians was limited to three regular season starts due to injuries including elbow tightness, shoulder discomfort and a low back strain.
The laundry list didn’t stop the Giants from adding Cobb last winter and he promptly came down with a hip injury during Spring Training. Although he’s pitched in some rehab games, he has yet to throw a pitch for the Tigers this season and reportedly received an injection in his left hip this week according to Chris McCosky of the Detroit News. While the Tigers are planning for him to resume his minor league rehab assignment, they don’t know when, making it appear that they’ve lit $15 million on fire.
Of course, that could change in the next couple of weeks. Cobb could return to the mound, look sharp and join a Tigers rotation that has suffered some bruises with Jackson Jobe’s Tommy John surgery and Jack Flaherty’s June swoon. Perhaps this would be the gateway to a strong performance down the stretch and persuade the Tigers to hold off adding a starter at the trade deadline.
But a more likely scenario is that Cobb is completely cooked after a year and a half that has featured more time on the injured list than on the mound. As it stands, he has roughly three weeks to change the narrative or risk being a lost bet by the front office.