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Alex Cobb thought about retirement. Now Detroit Tigers are paying him $15 million
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- Alex Cobb thought about retirement. Now Detroit Tigers are paying him $15 million
Two months ago, Detroit Tigers right-hander Alex Cobb thought about retiring from his career as an MLB player.
The 13-year MLB veteran — who returned to the postseason in 2024 for the first time since 2013 — struggled Oct. 15 as the starting pitcher for the Cleveland Guardians in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series against the New York Yankees , possibly as a result of pitching through hip tightness and back spasms. After that, Cobb was shut down with an acute left low back strain.
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It was his final game in 2024.
He mulled retirement after Game 1 of the ALCS.
"Honestly, that was heavy on my mind after my last start," Cobb said. "I had to come out with another nagging issue. I definitely thought, after a year of battling, I didn't know if there would be much interest. Early on, when teams were calling, I was a bit surprised by the interest."
MORE ABOUT HIM: Why Tigers were 'aggressive' in signing veteran Alex Cobb for 2025 season
Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Alex Cobb delivers during the first inning of Game 1 of the ALCS against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Oct. 14, 2024 in New York.
The Tigers showed the most interest, ultimately signing Cobb to a one-year, $15 million contract . The deal includes a $1 million bonus for 140 innings and a $1 million bonus for 150 innings. The Tigers wanted him for his veteran presence , his ability to throw strikes and induce ground balls and his opportunity for development.
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The 37-year-old felt reinvigorated when the Tigers showed early interest in signing him .
"You get yourself back in the gym, you start working out and throwing again," Cobb continued, "and you convince yourself you can not only do this but do it at a very successful level where I expect to be. Everything feels great right now."
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When healthy, the oft-injured Cobb is an effective starting pitcher.
For example, Cobb posted a 3.80 ERA with 80 walks (6.3% walk rate) and 282 strikeouts (22.1% strikeout rate) across 301 innings for the San Francisco Giants in the 2022-23 seasons, reviving his career.
Sep 19, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Alex Cobb (38) throws in the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
Cobb — an All-Star for the first time in 2023 — ranked 25th in ERA (3.80), 15th in FIP (3.41) and 24th in fWAR (5.5) among 44 pitchers with at least 300 innings during those two seasons, also ranking third with a 59.4% ground-ball rate.
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"Last year, he had a really tough year," said Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris , who worked as the general manager of the Giants from 2019-22. "He never quite got healthy. I think he would admit that. He had a quick sprint to get ready for the season and had a setback, then there were a couple stops and starts throughout that. Before that, he threw 150 innings in the previous two years."
But Cobb spent most of 2024 on the injured list.
He has taken a new approach to this offseason in hopes of staying healthy throughout the entire 2025 season. He is doing preventative physical therapy at Banner Health in Arizona .
"I'm trying to stay ahead of anything that could pop up," Cobb said.
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His physical therapy and his training take place at the same facility. He completes physical therapy three days per week as part of his training six days per week.
The physical therapy is Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
"Working on my hips and mobility and all those things to try to stay healthy for a full season," Cobb said, "and put myself in a position where we're in a postseason run, and working deep into October is always the goal. I feel like I do that that every offseason, but I'm doing a few different things trying to prevent anything from happening this year."
Jun 12, 2021; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Alex Cobb (38) pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
The past suggests Cobb is likely to get injured at some point in 2025.
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He has needed four surgeries since being selected in the fourth round of the 2006 draft: rib surgery in 2011, right elbow surgery in 2015, right hip surgery in 2019 and left hip surgery in 2023. He also suffered from several injuries along the way, including five injuries in last year's return from hip surgery: elbow tightness, shoulder discomfort, a broken fingernail, a blood blister and a low back strain.
In 2024, Cobb was limited to three starts in the regular season and two more in the postseason because of the rehabilitation from hip surgery and the ensuing five injuries.
"It's not only the injury," Cobb said. "It's the struggle of mastering your delivery again and getting back into compete mode. Those are all really challenging things to get back to, and then get back to the performance that you're used to."
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As for his 2024 performance, Cobb had a 2.76 ERA across 16⅓ innings in three starts in the regular season and a 7.94 ERA across 5⅔ innings in two starts in the postseason. He has thrown more than 145 innings in five of his 13 seasons, but not since 2023.
Cobb hopes to stay healthy in 2025.
It could be his final season.
"I've been fortunate to have a long career," Cobb said. "I've battled a lot of different things. The last way I wanted to end my career was like I did last year. I know you don't get to choose the way it ends, but it would have been a pretty bitter taste in my mouth to walk away from this game on a year like last year. I think everybody wants to go out on top, but I have a desire to do that."
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Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold .
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers RHP Alex Cobb 'a bit surprised' by free-agent offers
