Bleacher Report has named the Detroit Tigers the No. 1 landing spot for Kevin Gausman this offseason, and the reasoning starts with three holes in the starting rotation. Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize were both traded during the 2026 season, and Justin Verlander has retired after finishing his career in Detroit.

Detroit finished the 2026 season 76-86 and has a lot of roster work ahead of it. The rotation is the position group that has to be addressed first, and Gausman is one of the starting pitchers who will be available on the free agent market.

Bleacher Report Ranks Detroit the Top Kevin Gausman Landing Spot

Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report ranked his top five destinations for Gausman, putting Detroit ahead of the Washington Nationals, San Francisco Giants, Toronto Blue Jays and Arizona Diamondbacks. Kelly wrote:

“Prior to the trade deadline, the Tigers dealt both Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize. Verlander—who hardly pitched at all in his final season—will be retiring. It’s safe to say that president of baseball operations Scott Harris will be in the market for starting pitching this offseason.

While Skubal has publicly said he would consider a return to the Tigers in free agency, it’s hard to imagine owner Christopher Ilitch authorizing Harris to sign a deal exceeding Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s $325 million pact.

Gausman would be a more affordable option, slotting into a rotation also set to feature Framber Valdez, Keider Montero and Jackson Jobe in 2027.”

What Gausman Would Bring to the Rotation

Detroit does need another arm alongside Framber Valdez, and Gausman is coming off a split season. He made 32 starts in 2026, 23 for the Toronto Blue Jays before he was traded and nine for the Chicago Cubs after it, and finished 9-12 with a 4.51 ERA. He threw 177.2 innings, gave up 179 hits and 89 earned runs, walked 47 and struck out 184 with a 1.27 WHIP, according to Baseball Reference.

That is not an ace, and at 35 years old he is not going to be one again. It is a durable mid-rotation starter on what should be a short, affordable deal, which is a different kind of signing than the one Skubal will command.

Scott Harris Doesn’t Plan to Build Through Free Agency

The complication is that Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris has already said this is not how he builds a roster. Harris told reporters at the Tigers’ end-of-season press conference on Sept. 28, “We’re not building through free agency; I’ve been very consistent on this point since I’ve gotten here; we are building through development. We are participating in free agency and we always will participate in free agency, but that is designed to supplement the core we are developing.”

Development alone is not going to cover three rotation spots in one winter. Harris can stay consistent with that line and still sign Gausman, because a mid-rotation starter on a short deal is exactly the supplement he described. An offseason that adds nobody from outside the organization would be a harder sell, especially coming off a 76-86 finish.

Detroit’s other free agent options are worth tracking too. Our 2027 free agent target roundup runs through the bats and arms the Tigers could chase.