The Detroit Tigers start 2025 looking to build on last year’s turnaround, which saw the franchise end a nine-year playoff drought and produce its first winning season since 2016. The Tigers won 86 games, earning one of the American League Wild Card places and sweeping the Houston Astros 2-0 in the Wild Card playoff before losing the AL Division Series to the Central Division pennant-winning Cleveland Guardians.
On the offensive side, the Tigers’ OPS of.685 was fourth from the bottom in the AL, while their 4.21 runs per game ranked ninth in the league, slightly lower than the AL average of 4.26. So it’s no surprise that Detroit was led by its pitching staff.
Tarik Skubal, the AL Cy Young Award winner, led the starters in wins (18) and strikeouts (228). He also led the league in ERA (2.39). The Tigers’ pitching staff finished second in the AL, with a 3.61 ERA and 1.162 WHIP.
The Tigers, on the other hand, did little to improve their offense in the offseason, instead bolstering their already strong pitching staff by signing free agent Jack Flaherty to a two-year, $35 million contract. Flaherty spent the first half of 2024 with the Tigers before being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Alex Cobb Gets Second Hip Injection, Remains Shut Down
Detroit also attempted to shore up its starting rotation by signing 2023 National League All-Star Alex Cobb to a one-year, $15 million contract. However, the success of the Tigers pitching — and, by extension, the Tigers — will be heavily dependent on health. And in that aspect, the Tigers received awful news concerning Cobb as soon as training camp began.
The 37-year-old righty arrived with what the team characterized as “hip inflammation,” delaying his spring pitching program by a month and making him unlikely to begin the season on the active roster.
Cobb has previously undergone platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections to help with the healing process. This week, the former San Francisco Giant received an epidural injection as well.
Cobb’s injury should not come as a big surprise. The 13-year journeyman has struggled with injuries throughout his career and has only pitched more than 152 1/3 innings in one season. In 2017, Cobb threw 179 1/3 innings for the Tampa Bay Rays. Last year, he made only three starts for Cleveland due to a series of health issues.
Outfielder Parker Meadows Injures Arm on Routine Throw
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Cobb’s injury is just one of several challenges the Tigers are dealing with this spring. During Saturday’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies, outfielder Parker Meadows injured his right biceps while attempting a routine infield throw. Following examinations, the team revealed that the 25-year-old had “right upper arm inflammation” and will be sidelined from baseball activities indefinitely.
Matt Vierling, another outfielder who also plays third base, is reported to be suffering from what manager A.J. Hinch termed as a “shoulder issue,” though the team did not say when or how the injury occurred, nor how long the 28-year-old Notre Dame graduate would be away.
Vierling, in his second season with the Tigers following a 2022 trade from the Phillies, had a good if not outstanding.735 OPS with 16 home runs.
Detroit is also struggling with injuries to shortstop Javy Baez, who is recovering from hip surgery that terminated his season last year, and pitching prospect Wilmer Flores, who was the second-ranked pitcher in the Tigers’ farm system as of 2023.
