On Monday evening, the Detroit Tigers and free agent right-hander Drew Anderson made it official. The Tigers will pay the veteran starter $7 million in 2026, with a club option for 2027 at $10 million.
Cody Stavenhagen of the Athletic had the contract details first.
The signing was met with some shrugs and some confusion when it was announced over the weekend. Anderson was briefly with the Tigers as a minor league signing in the 2023-2024 offseason, but was cut loose after a less than stellar month at the Triple-A level. He then signed on with the SSG Landers in the KBO and played in Korea with them the past two seasons.
In 2025, Anderson made 30 starts and threw 171 2/3 innings with a 2.25 ERA and a 2.62 FIP. He posted a 35.3 percent strikeout rate with a 7.3 percent walk rate and did a good job limiting home runs. How well that will translate back to the major leagues is an open question.
Anderson packs a pretty good riding fourseamer in the mid-90’s and has touched 97-98 mph occasionally in the past. He backs it up with an average mix of secondary pitches that mainly features his cutter, slider, and changeup, with some curveballs mixed in as a change of pace. Data from the KBO doesn’t really show a standout offering among the group, but the big leap for Anderson last year was in commanding the whole mix more consistently after years struggling with walks.
With Anderson added, the rotation looks like it will be Tarik Skubal, Jack Flaherty, Casey Mize, Anderson, and Troy Melton, with Reese Olson bound to compete for one of those spots as long as he can get his shoulder injury rehabbed and return to form by the time we get to spring camps. That seems a high likelihood, but after lengthy absences due to shoulder trouble each of the past two seasons, there remains some uncertainty as to his status.
Erick Fedde, starter for the St. Louis Cardinals, led a recent wave of pitchers signing out of the KBO back in 2024. He had a pretty good season for the Cardinals, but struggled in 2025. Already this offseason, the Blue Jays have signed right-hander Cody Ponce to a three-year, $30 million deal out of the KBO. Anderson’s numbers were pretty comparable to Ponce’s, so the price by comparison at least, seems pretty reasonable.
Hopefully the 31-year-old Anderson can hold down a rotation spot for the Tigers, or at very least, convert to a relief role if things don’t go as planned. Having the club option for a reasonable price will look pretty good if things do go well. The Tigers projected 2026 payroll now stands at $148 million according to FanGraphs’ Roster Resource.
