Tigers marquee signing was on verge of retirement before signing in Detroit

The 2024 offseason is an important one for the Detroit Tigers. They shocked the world by coming back from a large deficit to not only make the postseason, but force a Game 5 in the ALDS. They were one win away from an ALCS berth and a chance to win the AL Pennant.

This offseason presented an opportunity for Detroit to build off of its unlikely success. The Tigers made the postseason for the first time since 2014 and have several young building blocks to center the team around like Tarik Skubal, Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter, and Colt Keith (to name a few).

Unfortunately, this offseason has gotten off to a bit of a slow start for Detroit. The only player that the team has signed to an MLB deal so far is Alex Cobb, a 37-year-old who made three regular season starts this past season and has never eclipsed the 30-start mark in his 13-year career. There are things to like with Cobb, but having him be their marquee signing thus far is a bad look.

As if signing a 37-year-old as the only major move more than a month into the offseason isn't embarrassing enough for Detroit, even Cobb appeared to be shocked with the deal that he got. He went from thinking about retirement to being surprised by the interest.

"Honestly, that was heavy on my mind after my last start," Cobb said. "I had to come out with another nagging issue. I definitely thought, after a year of battling, I didn't know if there would be much interest. Early on, when teams were calling, I was a bit surprised by the interest."

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Alex Cobb revelation makes Tigers marquee signing look even worse

Again, there are things to like with Cobb. When healthy, he's a solid starting pitcher. He allowed just five earned runs in his 16.1 innings this past regular season (2.76 ERA). He had made at least 18 starts with a sub-4.00 ERA in each of the three seasons prior to his injury-riddled 2024 campaign. Cobb was even an All-Star with the San Francisco Giants in 2023.

Is Cobb really the big move Tigers fans wanted to see? Yes, they had a glaring need in their rotation and Cobb should help, but could Detroit not have aimed a bit higher? Did they have to settle for the 37-year-old coming off a season in which he made just three starts? Plus, while it is just a one-year deal, $15 million is a lot for a Tigers team reluctant to spend money considering all of the circumstances that come with Cobb.

Prior to the 2022 campaign, Cobb inked a two-year deal with the Giants worth $20 million. He was coming off a season that saw him make 18 starts and pitch to a sub-4.00 ERA with the Los Angeles Angels. That deal included a $10 million club option for 2024, which the Giants exercised. Cobb did earn more guaranteed money in this deal, but it was also a multi-year commitment. I get that it's a one-year deal and that the price of pitching continues to rise, but why is Cobb earning a higher AAV coming off a three-start season than he did three years ago after making 18 solid starts in a worse situation?

The money surprised most, and even Cobb. There's little risk that comes from a one-year commitment, but if this impacts Detroit's spending (and all indications suggest that it will), then it's a bad look. This Tigers team is in dire need of offensive upgrades, and they've made none. It's mid-December.

The only big move that the team has made being an Alex Cobb signing that didn't make much sense to begin with, even to Cobb himself, is just frustrating for Tigers fans desperate to see a consistent winner.