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Tigers Veteran Alex Cobb Wants To Contribute to Team's Success No Matter How Small

Originally posted on Detroit Tigers on SI
By Kenneth Teape | Last updated Aug 6, 2025 2:30 PM ET

The Detroit Tigers shocked a lot of people when it was announced that they had signed veteran starting pitcher Alex Cobb to a one-year, $15 million deal in free agency this past winter.

Signing a veteran pitcher to a short-term deal is the norm for the Tigers, who have used this strategy in recent years to a lot of success.

But, those pitchers didn’t come with the red flags that Cobb possessed given his checkered history of health.

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In 2024, he made only three starts with the Cleveland Guardians, who acquired him in an MLB trade deadline deal from the San Francisco Giants.

Cobb performed well in those starts with a 2.76 ERA across 16.1 innings. He would make two starts in the postseason and wasn’t nearly as successful with a 7.94 ERA across only 5.2 innings.

Evidently, that was enough for Detroit to commit a large lump sum of money to the veteran right-hander, but they have gotten zero return on their investment to this point.

Injuries have hampered him again, this time battling constant inflammation in his hip. It has led to a winding road of recovery and isn’t even tied to the hip that required surgery and he spent a majority of last year recovering from.

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However, Cobb is working diligently to get his body to a place where he can help the team on the field and contribute to what he believes is a special group.

“I’ve never been on a team with this type of potential,” Cobb said via Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic (subscription required). “I’ve never been in first place at the trade deadline or nine games up, whatever we are, and obviously we have a real chance to do something really special. If I was ever on a team and we were the last team standing and we got a nice little trophy and a ring, I’d want to stare at that ring and feel like I did everything I could to contribute, even if it’s just a little bit.”

The Tigers currently hold a 6.5-game lead over the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Central and are one game behind the Toronto Blue Jays for the best record in the AL.

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Outside of a stretch entering the All-Star break and coming out of it, Detroit has been the most dominant team in baseball, owning the best record in the sport for more days than any team in 2025.

That is something Cobb wants to be a part of.

And for his own sake, be able to contribute, no matter how large or small, so that he could feel accomplished should the team go all the way.

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“I’d feel a lot more pride in that if I could stare at that ring and know that, even if it wasn’t the expectation I had for my season, I contributed in some sort of way,” Cobb said.

It would be great if Cobb could return to the mound and contribute, but it clearly isn’t something Detroit is counting on.

They acquired Chris Paddack from the Minnesota Twins and Charlie Morton from the Chicago Cubs to bolster their starting rotation, knowing they will be without Jackson Jobe and Reese Olson and have no clear timetable when Cobb will be back, if he can return at all.

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This article first appeared on Detroit Tigers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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