Looking to add some depth to their pitching staff this offseason, the first move the Detroit Tigers made was signing veteran starting pitcher Alex Cobb.
The two sides agreed to a one-year, $15 million deal early in free agency, addressing arguably their biggest weakness right away.
Unfortunately, the injury issues that have plagued Cobb over the last few seasons hit him again in spring training, making it a sunk cost to this point.
Cobb has been sidelined with hip inflammation since February, keeping him sidelined as he has yet to make his debut with the club.
Alas, that could be changing in the near future, as the veteran righty is making strides and is ready to advance in his recovery process.
As shared by Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic on X, Cobb is set to begin a rehab assignment in the next day or two, putting him one step closer to being ready to take the mound in a Major League game.
The Tigers knew there was a risk in signing the veteran after he made only three starts for the Cleveland Guardians in 2024 after being acquired from the San Francisco Giants in a trade ahead of the deadline.
In those starts, he was effective, registering a 2.76 ERA in 16.1 innings with 10 strikeouts and a 1.041 WHIP.
He made two starts in the postseason and wasn’t nearly as effective, pitching to a 7.94 ERA, giving up five earned runs in 5.2 innings of work.
Getting Cobb into the mix will provide Detroit with more depth for their starting rotation, helping limit the workload of younger players such as Reese Olson and Jackson Jobe, who have yet to make it through the rigors of a complete regular season, behind team MVP Tarik Skubal.
