Tigers tabbed as No. 1 landing spot for Cubs 4.51 ERA starter in free agency
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Tigers tabbed as No. 1 landing spot for Cubs 4.51 ERA starter in free agency originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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The Detroit Tigers are going to be in the market for starting pitching upgrades this offseason, as they traded away Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal at the MLB trade deadline.
While they could try to bring one of those pitchers back, the Tigers should be scouting the other free-agent pitchers set to hit the open market. One team worth keeping a close eye on is the Chicago Cubs, who were just eliminated from the MLB postseason.
For the Tigers, Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly linked them as the No. 1 landing spot for free-agent veteran starter Kevin Gausman. The 4.51 ERA starter would make a lot of sense for the Tigers as a more affordable option than Skubal.
Tigers linked to Kevin Gausman as affordable free agent target
"It's safe to say that president of baseball operations Scott Harris will be in the market for starting pitching this offseason," Kelly writes. "... Gausman would be a more affordable option, slotting into a rotation also set to feature Framber Valdez, Keider Montero and Jackson Jobe in 2027."
The Tigers are going to need to add at least one starting pitcher this offseason. While reuniting wth Skubal would be a dream-come-true scenario, the more likely outcome is a veteran like Gausman.
He won't cost nearly as much as someone like Skubal or even Mize this offseason. But there is enough to like about Gausman that he's worth signing to a free-agent deal this upcoming offseason.
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The 35-year-old right-hander is coming off posting a 4.51 ERA in 2026 with the Toronto Blue Jays and the Cubs. While it's not a great season for Gausman, his upside for each start is something that the Tigers would surely appreciate as a No. 4 starter.
Valdez, Montero, Jobe, and River Ryan are likely to be mainstays of the rotation next year. Gausman could slot into the No. 3 or No. 4 spot in this rotation, and not be so heavily relied upon that his struggles here and there would be season-altering.
As an older pitcher who is coming off a year of regression, adding Gausman on a free-agent deal should be very affordable for the Tigers.
Kelly is linking the Tigers to Gausman as his top landing spot this offseason, which makes perfect sense for the Tigers. His upside is still high, and his cost should be reasonable. There might not be a better buy-low option than Gausman for Detroit.
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