Yesterday, I posted my thoughts on building the 2013 Detroit Tigers position players. Today let’s cover the pitching staff.

Most pitching staffs are 12 man, 5 starter units, so let’s look at who is assured of a spot.

Verlander (SP), Fister (SP), Scherzer (SP), Porcello (SP), Smyly (SP/RP), Benoit (RP), Coke (RP), Dotel (RP), and Alburquerque (RP) appear to be locks barring injury. That leaves us with one starting spot and two bullpen sports if Smyly goes to the pen or three bullpen spots if he does not.

The Tigers have a number of in house candidates to fill those spots. Bryan Villarreal, Duane Below, Casey Crosby, Daniel Schlereth, Andy Oliver, and Bruce Rondon are all guys who will get a shot at a job out of spring training. I expect others will to, but then this post would just become a list of names you could find anywhere.

It’s hard to imagine the Tigers making a big splash on the market for a starter with $20 million committed to Verlander and raises coming to the Fister/Scherzer/Porcello trio. The only starters currently available who I like more than Smyly are going to fetch 3+ years and $30 + million, which isn’t really in the budget for a team that needs help in the outfield and bullpen more pressingly. The rotation is one of the best in the game, so I’m giving the 5 spot to Smyly.

So far our staff looks like this:

SP: Verlander, Fister, Scherzer, Porcello, Smyly

RP: Benoit, Dotel, Coke (L), Alburquerque, TBA, TBA, TBA

We need to fill three spots and one of those spots should be filled by a lefty. My view is that two should come from our in-house crop and one should come from the market. I think Villarreal could prove useful again as he did until very late in 2012 and I’m a fan of Below as a first lefty. Crosby, Oliver, and Schlereth all have the ability to be a first lefty as well.

Rondon is the wild card because he’s the legitimate relief ace prospect of the bunch. He throws 100 mph and the breaking pitch is good. He has command issues at times, but he’s young. It looks like he’ll get a shot to break camp and they should let him. Pick an in house lefty and let Rondon and Villarreal fight it out for the other spot.

So we’re looking for one player on the market. Probably a righty, but I’m okay with a lefty if he can handle righties well enough.

Two guys who intrigue me a little are Brett Myers and Jason Frasor. Neither is a flashy name, but both could be useful adds like Dotel was a year ago. Myers has experience in the 8^th and 9^th innings and in the rotation, and Frasor’s strikeout numbers are interesting.

Both of these guys could be flexible in the pen and that’s exactly what the Tigers need as they head into 2013 without defined roles. I’m also against spending big in the relief market because even the very best are replaceable.

This staff, with the right management, could easily repeat as one of the top ones in the league in 2013.