Tired of the constant Tarik Skubal rumor mill? Looking for some actual movement and not just idle chatter about moves that weren’t likely to happen? Well, Detroit Tigers fans, you might be in luck. As the dominoes have started falling around the league, the Tigers are starting to get connected to real free agents who can make a difference in 2026.

Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reported that the Tigers are sniffing around a couple of arms who could make a difference. Things are apparently starting to heat up as Scott Harris pursues Michael King and Pete Fairbanks in what could be great signings for Detroit.

Tigers rumors are heating up as Scott Harris targets quality arms in Michael King and Pete Fairbanks

Here’s the nice thing about King and Fairbanks. They can stabilize the pitching staff, and while they’ll both command a pretty penny, they might not break the bank.

King, 30, won’t command as much as his former teammate Dylan Cease, partly due to some injury concerns, but when healthy, the argument isn’t hard to make that he’s a better pitcher. The reliever-turned-starter posted an ace-like 2.95 ERA that was fueled by a 27.7% strikeout rate over 173 2/3 innings in his first full season as a starter in 2024.

This year, injuries limited him to just 15 starts and 73 1/3 innings, but in that time, he still struck out a little more than a batter per inning and pitched to a 3.44 ERA. Adding him to the rotation not only gives Detroit some insurance in case Jack Flaherty doesn’t bounce back in 2026, but it would also ensure they have a rotation spot filled for the future, as Skubal, Flaherty, and Casey Mize are all set to hit free agency next offseason.

Of course, the bullpen is a top concern, and Devin Williams’ surprisingly large contract should have Tigers fans worried that the top high-leverage options will price themselves out of Harris’s comfort zone.

Fairbanks is drawing interest elsewhere, but he’ll sign for cheaper than Edwin Diaz or Robert Suarez and should still be considered a premium option. With a high-90s heater and a wipeout slider that generated an impressive 30.8% whiff rate, Fairbanks has the strikeout ability that the Tigers’ bullpen has been lacking in recent years.

Right now, it’s Will Vest and only Will Vest that you can feel comfortable handling high-leverage situations, so adding the former Tampa Bay Rays closer to the mix would give Detroit another option with the game on the line, regardless of how the final pecking order would shake out.

Petzold also notes that Detroit is interested in reuniting with Kyle Finnegan, whose 1.50 ERA post-trade deadline was a shining beacon in a sea of despair among Tigers’ relievers in 2025. Bringing Finnegan back, in addition to signing Fairbanks, would completely reshape the pen’s outlook.

If Harris can pull off all three moves and then shift his attention to adding a big bat to the lineup, he can put a bow on the offseason, feeling very good about the club’s chances in 2026, and fans can feel vindicated that he learned his lesson about cheaping out when it comes to pitching.