Drew Anderson’s final pitch Tuesday night ended up in the right-field seats at Comerica Park. His season has put the Detroit Tigers in a much more complicated position.

Former Tiger Kody Clemens turned Anderson’s 94 mph fastball into a two-run homer in the sixth inning, giving Minnesota the lead in Detroit’s 3-2 loss. Anderson finished with three earned runs allowed over 5⅓ innings and four strikeouts, leaving his season ERA at 3.80.

“Mixed bag. The whole night is a mixed bag,” A.J. Hinch said afterward.

That description works for the outing. Anderson’s larger body of work is making Detroit’s offseason choice considerably more interesting.

The Tigers signed Anderson to a one-year, $7 million contract last winter that includes a $10 million club option for 2027. There is no buyout attached to the option, leaving Detroit with a straightforward choice: pay him $10 million or allow him to reach free agency.

Anderson Has Changed His Case Since Opening Day

Anderson began the season as a versatile piece in a veteran-heavy pitching staff. Detroit’s Opening Day roster had him working out of the bullpen, not occupying a permanent rotation spot.

The season changed. So did Anderson’s job.

By August, after Detroit reshaped its rotation around younger arms, Anderson was moving back into a starting role. He has now completed at least five innings in five of his last six starts, according to The Detroit News report, and has consistently given Hinch a chance to hand a competitive game to the bullpen.

Tuesday showed both sides of the evaluation.

Anderson needed 28 pitches to escape the first inning, then settled down and faced the minimum from the second through the fifth. One walk and one poorly located fastball in the sixth flipped the game.

Detroit isn’t deciding whether Anderson is flawless. It is deciding how much value there is in a pitcher capable of surviving nights when he isn’t.

Detroit Can Afford to Value Flexibility

The Tigers already have Framber Valdez under contract for 2027, while Jackson Jobe, Troy Melton and Keider Montero are among the young starters expected to compete for rotation jobs. River Ryan is another possibility after arriving in the Tarik Skubal trade.

Anderson gives Detroit something different: insurance.

MLB’s early look at Detroit’s 2027 roster lists Anderson among the rotation possibilities and estimates that the Tigers have roughly $85 million committed for next season. That gives president of baseball operations Scott Harris considerable payroll flexibility.

A $10 million Anderson option would not be a bet that he becomes the front of the rotation. It would buy Detroit a veteran who has already shown he can start, relieve and shift between roles without requiring the Tigers to predict exactly which young pitchers will be ready for 30 starts.

That has value for a club whose pitching staff has changed dramatically in the span of one season.

Anderson’s last pitch Tuesday cost Detroit the lead.

The innings before it may have made his $10 million option harder to decline.