The Tigers Need To Trade For A Starter After Losing Jackson Jobe
The Detroit Tigers have the best record in MLB at 44-24, but they'll have to press on without a highly promising young pitcher for the rest of the season. Jackson Jobe will undergo Tommy John surgery according to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press.
Jobe, a 22-year-old right-hander, was the third overall pick in the 2021 draft and the consensus top pitching prospect in the minors before the 2025 season (excluding Roki Sasaki). Every major prospect ranking outlet had him in the top five overall on their preseason lists.
He made two appearances for the Tigers out of the bullpen at the end of the 2024 season, then pitched twice more in the playoffs. He began the year in Detroit's rotation, but failed to live up to the hype. In 10 starts and 49 innings, he compiled a 4.22 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP with just 39 strikeouts. Batters hit .296 with a .519 slugging percentage against his vaunted fastball.
Even more concerning was that his fastball velocity decreased rapidly over the course of the season. Early in spring training, he averaged 98.5 mph, but in his last start before going on the injured list, he was down to 95.5 mph. That can often be a precursor to an injury, and now he will miss the rest of this year and most or all of the 2026 campaign too.
The Tigers have enjoyed a dream start to the season and are positioned to make an easy run to the playoffs, but they have to be concerned about their pitching depth.
Jobe is one of five Detroit starting pitchers on the injured list at the moment. Reese Olson is sidelined with ring finger inflammation, while Alex Cobb, Ty Madden, and José Urquidy have all yet to pitch this year.
The front three pitchers in their rotation have certainly held their own. Tarik Skubal is aiming for his second Cy Young Award in a row, and he leads the American League with a 1.85 FIP, 0.8 walks per nine innings, and 11.3 strikeouts per nine innings. If he can maintain his 15.0 strikeouts-to-walks ratio, it would shatter the MLB single-season record. Jack Flaherty and Casey Mize also have excellent 3.41 and 2.91 ERAs respectively.
Keider Montero and Sawyer Gipson-Long have been pressed into duty by all the injuries. Montero has made six starts and three relief appearances, but has only struck out 30 batters in 46 innings while giving up 48 hits and 17 walks. Gipson-Long missed almost the entirety of the 2024 season, only making one appearance in the minors. He has already pitched at four levels this year, including 8 1/3 innings for the Tigers.
With Jackson Jobe out of action until possibly 2027, Detroit has already scraped the bottom of the barrel of their pitching depth. They should become major players in the trade market for starting pitching before the deadline at the end of July. They may even need to acquire more than one hurler, especially if another pitcher gets hurt, and Jobe's fate is a reminder of how fragile pitchers' arms can be.
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