The Detroit Tigers enter 2025 planning to build on their resurgence of last year, when the franchise ended a nine-year playoff appearance drought and posted its first winning record since 2016. Winning 86 games, the Tigers took one of the American League Wild Card spots and swept the Houston Astros 2-0 in the Wild Card playoff before losing their AL Division Series to the Central Division pennant winning Cleveland Guardians.
On the offensive side, the team OPS of .685 was fourth from the bottom in the AL, and the 4.21 runs per game the Tigers scored put them ninth in the league, coming in slightly below the AL average of 4.26. So it should not be a surprise that Detroit was led by its pitching staff.
The starters were topped by AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal, who was also the league’s ERA king at 2.39 â leading in wins (18) and strikeouts with 228 as well. As a staff, the Tigers finished second in the AL with a 3.61 ERA and 1.162 WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched).
In the offseason, however, the Tigers did not do much to improve their offense, choosing instead to bolster their already strong mound staff, signing free agent Jack Flaherty â who spent the first half of 2024 with the Tigers before a trade to the Los Angeles Dodgers â to a two-year, $35 million contract.
Alex Cobb Gets Second Hip Injection, Remains Shut Down
Detroit also attempted to strengthen its starting rotation by signing 2023 National League All-Star Alex Cobb to a one-year, $15 million deal. But the success of the Tigers pitching â and as a result, the Tigers â will depend largely on health. And in that regard, the Tigers got bad news about Cobb as soon as training camp opened.
The 37-year-old righty showed up with what the team described as “hip inflammation,” setting his spring pitching program back by a month and leaving him doubtful to start the season on the active roster.
Cobb has already received an injection of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in an attempt to promote the healing process. Now, this week, the former San Francisco Giant received an epidural injection as well.
The injury to Cobb shouldn’t be too surprising. The 13-year veteran has battled injuries throughout his career and has pitched more than 152 1/3 innings in a season just once. That was in 2017 when Cobb threw 179 1/3 for the Tampa Bay Rays. He made just three starts for Cleveland last year due to a series of health setbacks.
Outfielder Parker Meadows Injures Arm on Routine Throw
The bad news on Cobb is just one of the injury issues confronting the Tigers this spring. Outfielder Parker Meadows injured his right biceps making a routine throw to the infield during Saturday’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies. After tests, the team announced that the 25-year-old was experiencing “right upper arm inflammation” and he would be shut down from baseball activities for an indefinite period.
Another outfielder, who doubles as a third-baseman, Matt Vierling is reported to be suffering from what manager A.J. Hinch described as a “shoulder issue,” though the team was not sure when or how the injury happened, or for how long the 28-year-old Notre Dame product would be sidelined.
In his second season with the Tigers after a 2022 trade from the Phillies, Vierling compiled a respectable if not outstanding .735 OPS with 16 home runs last season.
Detroit is also dealing with injuries to shortstop Javy Baez, who is recovering from hip surgery that ended his season last year, as well as pitching prospect Wilmer Flores, who as recently as 2023 was the second-ranked pitcher in Detroit’s farm system.
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