The Tigers re-signed Kenny Rogers and will need a healthy Gambler to take the mound in 2008. Injuries led to a 14-game dropoff for Rogers last season -- certainly one of the main reasons Detroit was on the outside looking in at playoff time.
Given the lack of quality pitching available on the market, the Tigers needed to bring back Rogers, who seemed to have a positive effect on the pitching staff as a whole. Right now, though, Justin Verlander seems to be the only starter from what once appeared to be a deep rotation that can be counted on. Otherwise, Detroit needs to hope for Jeremy Bonderman, Nate Robertson and Rogers all to bounce back from down years -- plus someone (Andrew Miller?) to step up to fill the rotation.
That's a lot of question marks, but at least the talent is there. Reportedly, the Tigers are also looking at Jason Jennings (thumbs up here) and Kris Benson (thumbs down) to aid the staff. Has anyone lived for so long on the word "potential" than Benson? As frustrated as I get with Bonderman, at least he's got two 14-win seasons to his credit already. Benson has never won more than a dozen and only once has posted an ERA under 4.
It's remarkable that Benson and Matt Clement, two pitchers who missed last year because of shoulder surgery, keep popping up on numerous teams' radars. What a mess.
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