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By Shaun McAvoy
Contributing Sports Writer
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Though the Detroit Tigers arguably have the best pitcher in baseball on their roster in Tarik Skubal, the team still needs another starter for its rotation this offseason.
Detroit had to use 15 pitchers as starters this season, and could use a reliable innings-eater as it eyes a return to the playoffs next season. In addition to the Tigers needing more depth for their starting rotation, the team also needs to prepare in case Skubal walks in free agency next offseason.
Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reported that the Tigers will be shopping in the mid-tier pitching market, and that one of the pitchers they are interested in is Toronto Blue Jays veteran free agent Chris Bassitt.
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"The Detroit Tigers are searching for a starting pitcher in free agency," Petzold wrote Thursday. "They're shopping in the mid-tier market. Among their free-agent targets, the Tigers are interested in right-hander Chris Bassitt, right-hander Nick Martinez and left-hander José Quintana, according to multiple people with knowledge of the situation. A deal doesn't appear imminent, though. The Tigers also have interest in right-hander Lucas Giolito, as reported by The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.
"Without another addition, the Tigers have four starters locked into the rotation (Skubal, Flaherty, Mize and Olson), leaving Anderson and Melton to compete for the fifth spot. Everything would change if the Tigers land a mid-tier free agent starter, such as Bassitt, Giolito, Martinez, Quintana -- or another pitcher on their list of targets."
Bassitt is as reliable a pitcher as they come, logging 27 or more starts in each of the past five seasons. The former All-Star went 11-9 last season, posting a 3.96 ERA with 166 strikeouts in 170 1/3 innings pitched. After spending the past three seasons with the Blue Jays, it remains unclear if the team will bring Bassitt back, leaving the door open for a team like the Tigers to sign the 36-year-old.
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