Reports: Tigers Interested In Starters Iwakuma, Gallardo
By Dan Jenkins
@DanTJenkins
As the Detroit Tigers search for parts to fix their struggling pitching staff, speculation and rumors are beginning to fly.
General manager Al Avila said that the team will look to add two starting pitchers to the rotation for 2016. The team is rumored to be targeting mid-level talents, as opposed to top-tier pitchers such as Zack Greinke or David Price.
That notion is holding true with reports surfacing this week that Avila is targeting Hisashi Iwakuma of the Seattle Mariners and Yovani Gallardo of the Texas Rangers.
Al Avila told a Japanese reporter that Mariners free agent Hisashi Iwakuma would be in their mix for starting pitching search.
— Jason Beck (@beckjason) November 10, 2015
As the Tigers target the second-tier of free agent starting pitchers, Yovani Gallardo is someone they have interest in.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) November 13, 2015
Iwakuma was granted his free agency by the Mariners on Nov. 2. The 34-year-old pitched in Japan before joining the MLB in 2012. He threw a no-hitter against the Baltimore Orioles on Aug. 12, 2015.
Gallardo declined a qualifying offer from the Rangers on Friday. The 29-year-old right-hander pitched in Texas last season after spending the first eight years of his career with the Milwaukee Brewers. He tallied a 13-11 record in 2015, with a 3.42 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 121 strikeouts in 184.1 innings.