Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize will no longer be the backbone of the starting rotation. Framber Valdez faces his second year as the “supposed” rotation leader after the worst season of his career.

Keider Montero overcame a poor start and, after having prepared to become a strength within a bullpen full of uncertainty, had to finish in the starting rotation, where he closed with a 4.88 FIP in his last 10 outings.

Troy Melton was the most promising revelation, while Jack Flaherty — who finished on the injured list — and Jackson Jobe once again fell short of expectations.

We don’t need to go around in circles about the problem, since it’s right in front of our eyes. So here are some of the most pressing questions for the Detroit Tigers: how will they address the shortcomings in their starting rotation for 2027?

Will the solution be to fully trust an internal plan, or would they be open to looking for arms in free agency?

To answer the first question, we have to start by remembering that Detroit had to use 16 different starters in 2026. But that wasn’t the biggest problem: Skubal and Mize combined for 5.9 fWAR, which represented 43% of the 13.7 fWAR accumulated by the team’s starters.

They did it without pitching in the second half of the season, as they were traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres, respectively. Their departures left a significant void in the rotation.

Skubal and Mize also combined for 17 quality starts, just over 30% of the team’s 46. Beyond Framber (16), Melton (9) was the only starter who joined the rotation and managed to maintain some consistency for the rest of the season.

The Cause Is Obvious, but Detroit’s Plan Still Isn’t

Look, let’s be honest. Without Skubal and Mize, and with Framber trying to regain his best level after a disappointing 2026, it’s difficult to find internal solutions unless the Tigers decide to make a general restructuring with their younger pitchers.

Melton has been an interesting revelation, and Jobe didn’t look bad in his last outings. That said, Detroit will have to decide what the best role for Montero will be and whether Flaherty can still help the rotation, as he will become a free agent at the end of this season.

In 2026, the Tigers once again were forced to use an opener in nearly 10% of their starts. I know there are hopes that Andrew Sears and River Ryan can also emerge, but adding another arm would be a reasonable option for Detroit, regardless of what happens with Flaherty.

Among the pitchers who could be available in free agency, right-hander Dustin May, who currently pitches for the Milwaukee Brewers, looks like an interesting piece to explore.

There are several reasons to consider him. First, May will be a free agent at the end of the season and just posted the best fWAR (2.8) and xFIP (3.96) numbers of his career, in addition to reaching his highest single-season innings total (145⅔).

He also considerably reduced his home run rate, from 1.43 to 0.86. He’s a powerful right-handed arm who has regained velocity on his fastball, averaging 96.9 mph this year.

In doing so, he has left behind some of the doubts raised by the drop in his velocity, from 97.6 mph in 2023 to 95.5 mph in 2025, after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2021 and a second procedure on his right elbow in 2023.

May makes sense for this Detroit rotation because of his experience pitching for high-level teams. He first did so with the Los Angeles Dodgers and then joined the Brewers on August 3, at this year’s trade deadline.

The Tigers have struggled to find solid innings from their starters and, above all, arms capable of remaining available throughout the entire season. Adding May could be as affordable as it is interesting a gamble among the options the team will have on the free-agent market.