Former SF Giants All-Star contemplated retirement before landing lucrative deal with Tigers

It has been an unusually robust market for starting pitching in free agency. Former SF Giants Alex Cobb told Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press that he considered retirement before landing a one-year, $15 million pact with the Detroit Tigers.

Former SF Giants All-Star contemplated retirement before landing lucrative deal with Tigers

Cobb just completed a three-year, $28 million deal he signed with the Giants before the 2022 season. The original deal was a two-year, $20 million pact with a team option for the 2024 season.

That option was an easy decision for the Giants to make as he posted a 3.87 ERA in 28 starts while earning his first All-Star nod in 2023. The Giants held a $10 million team option with a $2 million buyout. The relevant cost was $8 million, which looked like a bargain price given how Cobb performed in his first two years in San Francisco.

The veteran hurler underwent hip surgery in late October. The estimated recovery team was six months, which would have meant a return to the mound in the first half of the season. That did not come to fruition as Cobb experienced a couple of setbacks.

As he neared a return, Cobb was surprisingly traded to the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for two prospects. Even though the Giants were still somewhat in the playoff picture at the time, the deal was done to create an open spot in the rotation for Hayden Birdsong. Birdsong did get a chance to finish the year in the rotation, so the extra experience should pay off down the road.

On the other hand, Cobb made three starts with the Guardians following the trade. He posted a 2.76 ERA during that stretch and made two more starts in the playoffs. For the veteran hurler, it was the first time he pitched in the playoffs since 2013. The Guardians reached the ALCS but the New York Yankees bested them in five games to reach the World Series.

Given that Cobb only made three starts, he looked more like a bargain option when the offseason began. However, teams have been willing to commit significant money to pitchers who missed considerable time this past season.

It would have made sense if Cobb decided to hang up his spikes instead, but there was real interest in him continuing his career. The guaranteed money he is set to earn in 2025 is more than 50 percent of what he earned in his last contract. With that in mind, continuing to pitch must have been an easy decision.