Photo Credit: Carlos Osorio, Associated Press

The Detroit Tigers are interested in bringing in a starting pitcher, according to their General Manager Al Avila. The team attended Tim Lincecum’s showcase back on February 15 and had Chris Tillman throw for them on the 17th. Tillman ultimately re-signed with the Baltimore Orioles on a one year contract. Lincecum has yet to sign, but reportedly has a fully guaranteed major league contract offer on the table from an unknown team. With this interest in mind, let’s take a look at three starters the Tigers could sign to compete for a rotation spot.

John Lackey

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Lackey is 39 years old and obviously in the twilight of his career. However, he could provide the Tigers with a decent back end option. He is coming off a 12–12 season with a 4.59 ERA and 149 strikeouts in 170.2 innings. Those 170.2 IP werehis fewest thrown in a season since 2011 when he threw 160 frames for the Boston Red Sox. His struggles in 2017 should make Lackey more affordable financially. I could see the Tigers taking a one year flier on Lackey to see if he can bounce back a bit. He could also fill the role of mentor, which is vital to a rebuilding club.

2. Jeremy Hellickson

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Hellickson spent time with the Orioles and Philadelphia Phillies in 2017, and struggled with both. He went 6–5 with a 4.73 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 112.1 IP with the Phils. He hit rock bottom in Baltimore, going 2–6 with a unsightly 6.97 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 51.2 IP. Overall in 2017, he went 8–11 with a 5.43 ERA.

Hellickson took a chance on himself by accepting a $17M qualifying offer with the Phillies after a 12 win 2016 campaign. The bet didn’t pay off, and he’s gone from a sought after pitcher to a potential bounce back or non roster invite candidate. The Tigers would be a pretty good fit for Hellickson. There isn’t much risk in bringing in the soon-to-be 31 year old right hander, and he could potentially help eat innings out of the back end.

3. Clay Buchholz

Photo Credit: Arturo Pardavila III, via Flickr

Buchholz threw just 7.1 innings in 2017 before undergoing surgery to repair a partial tear in his flexor-pronator mass. Buchholz gave up four runs in five innings in his only start. Buchholz had spent the previous nine years with the Boston Red Sox, winning the World Series in 2013. In his second career start, Buchholz threw the 17th no hitter in Red Sox history.

Buchholz has never been an elite pitcher, having just two seasons with an ERA under 3.00. However, he’s a safe bet to throw at least 100 IP when healthy. The Tigers can buy low here and hope that Buchholz can eat up those innings to give guys like Alex Faedo and Matt Manning time to develop their game.