Days of Roar: A Free Press Sports Detroit Tigers Podcast

The Detroit Tigers signed right-hander Alex Cobb to a one-year, $15 million contract, adding the 37-year-old veteran to their starting rotation alongside Tarik Skubal, Reese Olson and Jackson Jobe. But is Cobb the right move? Evan and Mark explore the pros and cons of the Cobb signing, along with the Tigers' need to upgrade at third base or first base to contend for the American League Central in 2025. Could free agents like Alex Bregman and Paul Goldschmidt or trade candidates like Yandy Díaz fill the gaps? Things are trending in the right direction with Bregman. The guys break down the potential competition for Spencer Torkelson as Colt Keith and Justyn-Henry Malloy take ground balls at first base this offseason. Evan also shares his 2025 Opening Day roster prediction 1.0, highlighting concerns at third base, first base, shortstop, the bench and the bullpen. Additionally, how do the Max Fried and Blake Snell contracts impact Tarik Skubal's value, both now and in the future? Follow Evan on X/Twitter here.  Read Evan's most recent work here   

In this special "Days of Roar" bonus episode, Evan Petzold welcomes USA TODAY Sports MLB columnist and insider Bob Nightengale to recap MLB's Winter Meetings in Dallas. Evan and Bob break down the biggest news from the past week, including outfielder Juan Soto signing a 15-year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets. Do the Detroit Tigers have a chance to sign third baseman Alex Bregman? If not, should the Tigers consider trading for third baseman Nolan Arenado? Why did the Boston Red Sox trade for left-hander Garrett Crochet? How is Buster Posey different from Farhan Zaidi as the president of baseball operations for the San Francisco Giants? Why did the Cleveland Guardians trade Gold Glove-winning second baseman Andrés Giménez? What is the free-agent market like for shortstop Ha-Seong Kim? Is Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki already a lock to the Los Angeles Dodgers? For more on the Tigers, Evan and Bob discuss 2024 American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal and the chances of a contract extension before he becomes a free agent after the 2026 season. Follow Evan on X/Twitter here.  Read Evan's most recent work here 

The Winter Meetings will take place from Dec. 9-11 in Dallas. So far, the Tigers haven't made any offseason trades or signings, but that doesn't mean they're inactive. The Tigers have taken a patient approach to the free-agent and trade markets, as we reported coming out of the general manager meetings in early November. However, the Tigers are still targeting at least one starting pitcher and at least one right-handed hitter. Starting pitcher Walker Buehler is one free agent the Tigers have shown interest in. To explore further, Nick Pollack of Pitcher List breaks down Buehler's career, the importance of his fastball and how the Tigers' pitching department could help him improve. Later on, JJ Cooper of Baseball America joins to discuss the top 10 prospects in the Tigers' organization, led by Jackson Jobe. Pollack also discusses Tarik Skubal winning the Cy Young Award, while Cooper shares insights into how the Tigers have evolved as an organization in recent years. Follow Evan on X/Twitter here.  Read Evan's most recent work here   

The Detroit Tigers are one week away from the winter meetings in Dallas. Evan and Mark evaluate right-handed hitters for the Tigers to acquire in free agency and trade this offseason, including new information about free-agent infielder Ha-Seong Kim. The guys also try to make sense of what Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said about Wenceel Pérez and Justyn-Henry Malloy. Can Pérez add infield positions to his profile on defense? Will the Tigers try to move Malloy to first base? Later, Right-handed reliever Tyler Mattison, whom the Tigers recently added to the 40-man roster, joins the "Days of Roar" podcast to chat about being protected from the Rule 5 draft, transitioning from starter to reliever and his ongoing rehabilitation from Tommy John surgery. Follow Evan on X/Twitter here.  Read Evan's most recent work here 

Detroit Tigers catcher Jake Rogers joins the "Days of Roar" podcast to chat with Evan and Mark about Tarik Skubal winning the 2024 American League Cy Young Award. Rogers also talks about calling pitches and making in-game adjustments, his relationship with manager A.J. Hinch, being named a Gold Glove finalist, why "pitching chaos" worked in 2024 and his excitement for the 2025 season. Aside from Rogers, Evan and Mark tip their cap to Hinch for finishing third in AL Manager of the Year Award voting and break down the roster moves made by the Tigers, which included pitching prospect Tyler Mattison. Follow Evan on X/Twitter here.  Read Evan's most recent work here 

Evan and Mark are still waiting for the Detroit Tigers to make their first moves of the 2024-25 offseason. We break down Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki with help from Marquee Sports Network player development analyst Lance Brozdowski, who explains Sasaki's pitch mix and reveals if the Tigers have a chance to sign him. After that, Evan and Mark share how the Tigers can benefit in the short term and long term from signing another pitcher to a one-year contract, such as Walker Buehler or Frankie Montas. Ben Verlander, an analyst for FOX Sports and the brother of Justin Verlander, joins the podcast to talk about the Jack Flaherty trade, watching the Tigers advance to the postseason, hitting a home run off his brother in 2016 spring training and much more. To wrap up, Evan and Mark discuss a potential Javier Báez-Trey Sweeney platoon at shortstop and the prospects the Tigers could protect from the Rule 5 draft. Follow Evan on X/Twitter here.  Read Evan's most recent work here 

The general manager meetings took place last week in San Antoino, giving Evan and Mark plenty of topics to discuss. Evan recaps what he learned about the Detroit Tigers at the GM meetings, including an update on free-agent third baseman Alex Bregman. If not Bregman, should the Tigers trade for Miami Marlins slugger Jake Burger? Burger, a right-handed hitter, blends contact and power on offense and plays third base and first base on defense. Most importantly, the former No. 11 overall draft pick is under team control through the 2028 season. After that, Evan and Mark project the pitching plan for the Tigers in 2025, as well as an early look at the starting rotation. To wrap up, Evan and Mark praise prospect Thayron Liranzo for his game-winning home run in the Arizona Fall League and talk about veteran Justin Verlander in free agency. Follow Evan on X/Twitter here.  Read Evan's most recent work here 

Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch joins the "Days of Roar" podcast to chat with Evan and Mark. Hinch talks about the fans in Detroit, building a culture for the team over the past four seasons, players buying into team philosophies, the opener-bulk reliever pitching strategy after the trade deadline, the postseason run, and how the 2025 Tigers could look different than the 2024 Tigers. Before Hinch, the guys discuss the projected Opening Day payroll and how much money the Tigers can add to the books before the 2025 season, plus if the Tigers should trade for Toronto Blue Jays superstar Vladimir Guerrero Jr. After Hinch, Mark and Evan break down three other trade ideas for the Tigers to upgrade at first base. Follow Evan on X/Twitter here.  Read Evan's most recent work here 

A star-studded episode begins with Dan Dickerson — the radio voice of the Detroit Tigers — joining Evan Petzold and Mark Gorosh to break down the 2024 season. Dickerson discusses A.J. Hinch's genius, Tarik Skubal's Cy Young campaign, Spencer Torkelson's continued struggles and many more topics about the Tigers. He also shares insight into his broadcasting career after celebrating his 25th anniversary on the job, and he even provides his offseason expectations for the Tigers ahead of the 2025 season. Geoff Pontes, prospect writer for Baseball America, joins the show, too. Pontes evaluates Tigers prospects Josue Briceño, Thayron Liranzo and Rayner Castillo in the Arizona Fall League, sharing his projected MLB debuts for Briceño and Liranzo. Aside from guests, Evan and Mark debate about Torkelson, Casey Mize and the chances of reuniting with Jack Flaherty in free agency. Follow Evan on X/Twitter here.  Read Evan's most recent work here 

Let the offseason begin as Evan Petzold returns from his honeymoon to join Mark Gorosh for a full episode. Evan and Mark break down the performance of the 2024 Detroit Tigers, with grades for hitting, pitching, defense and coaching. Kerry Carpenter has been one of the best hitters against right-handed pitchers in his career, but is he underrated? Mike Ferrin, co-host of Power Alley on MLB Network Radio, joins to talk about how the Tigers advanced to the postseason, what the Tigers should do in the offseason and the World Series matchup between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers. When asked to pick one of three free agents, Ferrin selected third baseman Alex Bregman over first baseman Christian Walker and outfielder Anthony Santander. To wrap up, Evan and Mark shared their free-agent preference. Follow Evan on X/Twitter here.  Read Evan's most recent work here