Rick Porcello Rumors: Tigers Interested in Reunion with Ex-Mets, Red Sox SP | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

Beck noted that while there is interest, Porcello and the Tigers "remain apart" on contract terms.

The 32-year-old Porcello spent last season with the New York Mets, but he was a member of the Tigers for his first six MLB seasons from 2009-14 after Detroit took him with the No. 27 overall pick in the 2007 MLB draft.

Last season was the worst of Porcello's career, as he went 1-7 with a 5.64 ERA and 1.51 WHIP for the Mets in 12 starts encompassing 59.0 innings.

He was playing on a one-year deal in New York after struggling in 2019 with the Boston Red Sox to the tune of a 14-12 record with a 5.52 ERA and 1.39 WHIP in 32 starts.

It marked an unfortunate end to Porcello's tenure with the Red Sox, which included a Cy Young award in 2016 and a World Series title in 2018.

The 2016 season was by far Porcello's best as an MLB pitcher, and he has not come close to matching it ever since.

He won a career-high 22 games that season, going 22-4 with a 3.15 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 189 strikeouts in 223.0 innings pitched.

Porcello did go on to win 42 more games for the Red Sox over the next three seasons, but his cumulative ERA ballooned to 4.79.

He is now five years removed from the last time he had an ERA under 4.00, but the Tigers are in desperate need of starting pitching help, and they have familiarity with Porcello.

During his six seasons in Detroit, Porcello was a solid pitcher, going 76-63 with a 4.30 ERA. He wasn't much of a strikeout pitcher, though, punching out 5.5 batters per nine innings.

His best season in Detroit was his last one in 2014 when he went 15-13 with a 3.43 ERA, and that helped him land a big contract with Boston.

Porcello had his best year in Boston, upped his strikeout rate to over 8.0 per nine and even had a strong outing in the 2018 World Series, surrendering just one run in 4.2 innings pitched.

Now, Porcello is looking to extend his career, and the Tigers may offer the best option to do so since they are bringing in tons of veteran pitchers in hopes of piecing together a respectable rotation.

The Tigers have already signed Jose Urena to a one-year deal this offseason, and they have also signed Erasmo Ramirez, Derek Holland and Wily Peralta to minor-league contracts.

Holdovers Matthew Boyd, Casey Mize and Michael Fulmer are fairly strong bets to be in the rotation in 2021, but there are question marks beyond that, and general manager Al Avila has even said the team is considering going with a six-man rotation.

That could create a great opportunity for Porcello, and if he signs a short-term deal with the Tigers and pitches well in 2021, it could help him land a more substantial contract next offseason as well.