The Detroit Tigers were dealt the devastating news that they feared, as Jackson Jobe will undergo Tommy John surgery. This not only means that his 2025 season is over, but chances are he'll miss most, if not all, of the 2026 campaign as well. As brutal as this news is to hear, though, the Tigers should still like their odds to represent the American League in the World Series.
Tigers fans were incredibly excited to watch Jobe this season for obvious reasons. He was their No. 1 prospect entering the year, and he has legitimate Cy Young upside. While it hurts that Detroit only got to watch him take the mound 10 times before his season-ending injury, let's not pretend Jobe is a Cy Young-caliber pitcher right now.
He had a 4.22 ERA in those 10 starts and averaged 4.9 innings pitched in his outings. He was not bad at all; in fact, he allowed three earned runs or fewer in nine of his 10 outings, keeping the Tigers in games just about every time he took the ball. However, it's not as if Tarik Skubal was the one who suffered this injury. The Tigers should have more than enough depth to be just fine without him this season.
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Tigers pitching depth should be good enough without Jackson Jobe
Jobe's upside can only be matched or topped by Skubal, but again, he's not an ace yet. The Tigers have enough depth to be just fine without him considering the pitcher he is right now.
Behind Skubal, the Tigers have Jack Flaherty, Casey Mize, Sawyer Gipson-Long, Keider Montero and a really deep bullpen. Detroit also has Alex Cobb currently on a rehab assignment and Reese Olson expected back from the IL sometime late this month. Even without Jobe, a rotation featuring Skubal, Flaherty, Mize, Olson and Cobb should still be among the best in the American League, and if they disagree, there's still a ton of time for them to add an arm at the trade deadline.
Oh yeah, their bullpen is quite good and deep, too.
Lackluster American League is more than winnable even without Jackson Jobe
Ultimately, the biggest reason to have faith in the Jobe-less Tigers is that the American League is incredibly underwhelming. The New York Yankees are a very good team, but it's not as if they're unbeatable, especially with Aaron Judge's postseason history. And what other team is going to give the Tigers much trouble?
Teams like the Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland Guardians and Kansas City Royals are pretty good, but can they hit enough? Will the Boston Red Sox ever get it together? Can the Minnesota Twins be healthy enough? The Houston Astros are always dangerous, but it feels like they were scarier last season, yet a flawed Detroit still knocked Houston out of last year's Wild Card Round.
The National League is loaded with elite teams, but the American League does not measure up. Sure, the Jobe injury hurts, but he wasn't even a lock to be a postseason starter for them.
Considering how weak the American League is and the considerable amount of depth the Tigers have, a deep postseason run shouldn't be ruled out. Again, it stings a ton for Jobe to have to go through this. Still, Detroit should be fine.