Tigers Rumors

Tigers Activate Paul Sewald, Release Codi Heuer

By Steve Adams | September 18, 2025 at 11:24am CDT

The Tigers have activated reliever Paul Sewald from the 60-day injured list and opened a spot on the 40-man roster by releasing fellow right-hander Codi Heuer, who’d been pitching in Triple-A Toledo. Veteran right-hander Jose Urquidy, who has more than five years of major league service time, has consented to be optioned to Toledo, thereby clearing a spot on the roster for Sewald and keeping Urquidy in the organization.

Sewald, 35, was a July acquisition from the same Guardians club he’ll now potentially face in today’s series finale. He was on the IL due to a shoulder strain at the time of the swap and has yet to make his Tigers debut, though he’s pitched well in 4 2/3 rehab innings (one run allowed). He also missed considerable time with Cleveland prior to the trade. The veteran closer has pitched just 15 1/3 innings in the majors this year and sports a 4.70 ERA, 29% strikeout rate and 6.5% walk rate in that time.

The Guards signed Sewald to a one-year, $7MM contract over the winter. That guarantee took the form of a $5MM salary, a $1MM signing bonus and a $1MM buyout on a $10MM mutual option. The mutual nature of that option makes Sewald a pure rental; it’s been more than a decade since a mutual option was exercised by both parties anywhere in Major League Baseball.

Though Sewald has scarcely pitched in 2025, he brings a notable track record to manager A.J. Hinch’s bullpen. The right-hander had a nondescript four-year run with the Mets from 2017-20 before emerging from obscurity in Seattle, where he broke out as a high-end reliever. From 2021-23, Sewald pitched 189 1/3 innings between the Mariners and D-backs (who acquired him at the ’23 deadline) and logged a combined 2.95 ERA with 65 saves, 24 holds, a massive 33.9% strikeout rate and a solid 8.6% walk rate.

Oblique and neck injuries limited Sewald to just 39 2/3 innings with Arizona last year. He was reasonably effective, logging a 4.31 earned run average, but wasn’t close to his prior excellent form. Sewald has never been a hard thrower, but his already pedestrian velocity has dipped considerably since that 2021-23 peak. The right-hander averaged 92.3 mph on his four-seamer in that span but was sitting just 91.4 mph last year and 90.3 mph in this year’s limited sample with the Guardians. He posted a matching 90.3 mph average in his Triple-A rehab work with Detroit’s affiliate in Toledo.

Sewald joins the Tigers just a couple weeks after their primary deadline pickup for the bullpen, Kyle Finnegan, went on the injured list due to an adductor strain. Finnegan rattled off 14 1/3 shutout innings in his time with Detroit. His loss clearly stings, but he’s on a rehab assignment of his own now, Detroit could soon have Sewald, Finnegan and fellow July addition Rafael Montero all healthy for the first time before too long.

Heuer was acquired from the Rangers in July as well, though that was a simple cash swap that came with lower expectations. He allowed a pair of runs in 3 1/3 innings for the Tigers and was optioned back to Toledo, where he’s allowed two runs in 9 1/3 innings. That marked Heuer’s first big league action since 2021, as injuries have regularly kept him off the field. It’s a bit late in the season for him to land with another club — barring an unlikely scenario where a team wants to sign him to a big league deal and retain him via arbitration in the winter — so he’ll likely look to land a minor league deal in free agency this winter.

The Urquidy move is the most interesting of the bunch. Since he has more than five years of service, he needed to consent to be optioned. He granted that to the team but will technically be designated for assignment first. That’s a necessity for players with five-plus years of service who agree to be optioned, but because of that service standing, he doesn’t need to be placed on outright waivers or release waivers. He’ll be run through optional waivers before being optioned to Triple-A tomorrow.

This past offseason, the veteran Urquidy signed a one-year, $1MM contract that contains a $4MM club option for the 2026 season. The longtime Astros righty was rehabbing from Tommy John surgery at the time, so the Tigers signed the deal knowing he’d spend the bulk of the season rehabbing. He’s allowed two runs on four hits and three walks in 2 1/3 innings (14 batters faced) since returning. Urquidy looked sharp in 19 2/3 innings of rehab work (3.20 ERA, solid K-BB numbers), so by consenting to the option he’ll stay on the 40-man roster and remain an option for Detroit down the stretch — while retaining the possibility that the Tigers pick up that $4MM option for the 2026 season.

Tigers Notes: Skubal, Bullpen, Vierling

By Steve Adams | September 17, 2025 at 1:25pm CDT

Tigers ace Tarik Skubal gave the team a scare last week when he exited his start due to tightness in his left side. The obvious initial concern was that Skubal had suffered an oblique or intercostal strain that could necessitate a notable absence, but subsequent testing did not reveal a major injury. Several days of rest appear to have eased any discomfort the Cy Young front-runner was feeling. Skubal told the Tigers beat yesterday that he felt “100 percent” one day after a bullpen session.

“If anything, I probably worked a little bit harder just to make sure that I was good to go,” Skubal said of Monday’s bullpen session (via Evan Woodbery of MLive.com). “There was nothing there. It was all good.”

Skubal added that he fully anticipates making his next start tomorrow. He called last week’s early exit “one of those weird things” and wasn’t sure what had caused the discomfort, but for now, it seems the issue is largely behind him. For a Tigers club that’s already lost Reese Olson and Jackson Jobe for the season, Skubal’s ostensibly clean bill of health creates an even greater sigh of relief.

Outside of Skubal, Detroit’s rotation has been a mess since the trade deadline. Neither Charlie Morton nor Chris Paddack, the Tigers’ two rotation additions ahead of the deadline, has bolstered the staff. Morton sports a woeful 5.92 ERA in eight starts since coming to the Motor City, and Paddack has already been moved to the bullpen after posting a 6.38 ERA in five starts. Jack Flaherty (5.14 ERA in his past eight starts) and Casey Mize (4.85 ERA in his past eight starts) have also been limping to the finish line. Overall, the Tigers’ rotation has a 4.77 ERA dating back to Aug. 1 — and that number skyrockets to 5.40 when subtracting Skubal’s contributions.

The Tigers deployed their “pitching chaos” tactic to great effect late last season, using Skubal as their lone traditional starter and otherwise deploying an all-hands-on-deck approach. They haven’t reverted to that form just yet, and it’s worth noting that both Mize and Flaherty have had some strong starts in the past couple weeks. Presumably, Flaherty and Mize are the favorites for postseason starts behind Skubal right now, but last year’s approach showed that the Tigers aren’t beholden to conventional setups with their pitching staff.

Detroit is also hoping for some reinforcements in the bullpen sooner than later. Yesterday’s injury report from the club indicated that right-hander Kyle Finnegan tossed a bullpen session yesterday. He landed on the shelf earlier this month due to an adductor strain. Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press tweets that Finnegan, who tossed 14 1/3 shutout innings after being acquired from the Nationals in July, could embark on a rehab assignment in the near future.

Fellow deadline pickup Paul Sewald has already started his own rehab assignment as he works back from a July shoulder injury. He’s allowed one run and punched out four hitters in 4 2/3 innings of rehab work — most recently pitching two-thirds of an inning just last night. A return shouldn’t be too far off, barring any late setbacks.

While the updates on Skubal, Finnegan and Sewald are largely positive, the news regarding outfielder/third baseman Matt Vierling is far less rosy. Vierling, out since early August due to an oblique strain, began a minor league rehab assignment earlier this week. However, the Tigers announced in their latest injury report that Vierling has been pulled from that rehab stint after just one game due to continued soreness in his oblique region.

“I’m going to stop short of calling it a setback because I don’t know that yet,” manager AJ Hinch said last night (via Chris McCosky of the Detroit News). “But it’s clearly slowed down our plan with him. He’s pretty bummed out about it and he should be. We are, too. It’s just a matter of being re-evaluated and seeing what he can tolerate and what we can hope for.”

Hinch didn’t declare Vierling out for the season but conceded that the best he could answer regarding Vierling’s playoff availability was a simple, “I don’t know.” Presumably, Detroit will have more information on his status in the next few days.

It’s been a frustrating season for Vierling, who turned 29 the same day he had to be pulled from that rehab stint. He’s been limited to just 31 games and 100 plate appearances due to a pair of shoulder injuries and a pair of strains in his left oblique. When on the active roster, he’s turned in a tepid .239/.310/.307 batting line.

That pedestrian line is a far cry from Vierling’s quietly solid .257/.312/.423 performance during a 2024 season that saw him connect on a career-high 16 home runs. Vierling also set highwater marks in doubles (28), games played (144) and plate appearances (567). On the other side of the ball, he chipped in passable glovework at third base and above-average defense across all three outfield spots. It’s still possible he makes it back to the roster, particularly if the Tigers go on a deep run in October, but a return doesn’t appear to be on the immediate horizon.

Tarik Skubal Day-To-Day After Leaving Game Due To Side Tightness

By Darragh McDonald | September 13, 2025 at 1:17pm CDT

TODAY: Tests revealed no serious issue, Hinch told The Athletic’s Cody Stavenhagen and other reporters today. Skubal may even be able to make his next start, though the club will continue to monitor his status on a daily basis.

SEPTEMBER 12: Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal was removed from tonight’s contest in the fourth inning. He motioned to the dugout to call someone out to the mound. Manager A.J. Hinch and a member of the training staff visited him and the lefty was quickly lifted. Per Chris McCosky of Detroit News, he is experiencing tightness in his left side and is being evaluated. ESPN’s Jeff Passan describes the injury as “discomfort near his left rib cage,” noting that Skubal will undergo imaging on Saturday.

More details will be revealed in time. Any injury at all is potentially a massive development, given the calendar and Skubal’s importance. There are just over two weeks remaining in the regular season, so even a minimal IL stint at this point runs to the final days of the schedule. Anything longer than that would push into the postseason.

Skubal is the last player the Tigers want to lose to an injury. Arguably, his absence would be more notable than any other player in the majors. He has been one of the best pitchers in baseball in recent years, if not the very best. Last year, he made 31 starts with a 2.39 earned run average, 30.3% strikeout rate, 4.6% walk rate and 45.7% ground ball rate. He was the unanimous choice for the American League Cy Young award. He made another three starts for Detroit in last year’s playoffs. He has continued that pace here in 2025. He came into tonight with 180 innings, a 2.10 ERA, 32.6% strikeout rate, 4.1% walk rate and 40.7% grounder rate.

The Tigers are in a comfortable spot in terms of qualifying for the playoffs. Entering play tonight, they have a lead of 8.5 games on the Guardians in the Central division. They are also five games clear of the Mariners/Astros for the second bye through the first round. However, in the postseason, teams lean more heavily on their best pitchers. With more off-days in the playoffs, the top dogs can take on a larger percentage of the innings pitched.

If healthy, Skubal would be the clear top of the Detroit rotation, with Casey Mize, Jack Flaherty and Charlie Morton behind him. If Skubal needs to miss some time in October, then those three would each bump up a slot.

For the rest of the regular season, though the Tigers are in a decent spot, they may still have to scramble a bit if Skubal is unavailable. They put Sawyer Gipson-Long on the injured list earlier today, dropping their rotation from five to four members. Morton is scheduled to go tomorrow, followed by a bullpen game on Sunday. After an off-day Monday, the club plans to have Mize and Flaherty pitch on Tuesday and Wednesday. Skubal was lined up for Thursday. Morton could perhaps pitch that game on regular rest or the Tigers could do another bullpen game. They have guys like Keider Montero, José Urquidy and Chris Paddack in the bullpen, each capable of covering multiple innings.

That will be a secondary concern to October. As mentioned, the Tigers are in a good spot in the standings and highly likely to make the playoffs, with a strong chance at a first-round bye as well. The games in October are far more important than anything in the next two weeks. Perhaps Skubal will be given a bit of rest with the hope of having him ready for the playoffs, though everything naturally hinges on the nature and severity of his injury.

Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro, Imagn Images

Tigers Reinstate José Urquidy From 60-Day IL

By Darragh McDonald | September 12, 2025 at 4:45pm CDT

The Tigers announced have reinstated right-hander José Urquidy from the 60-day injured list. In a corresponding active roster move, fellow righty Sawyer Gipson-Long has been placed on the 15-day IL due to neck stiffness. To open a 40-man spot, righty Beau Brieske has been recalled and placed on the 60-day injured list with a right forearm strain. Chris McCosky of Detroit News relayed the moves prior to the official announcement.

Once Urquidy gets into a game, he will be pitching for the first time in almost two years, in addition to suiting up for a team other than the Astros for the first time. He tossed 405 innings for Houston over the 2019 to 2023 seasons, allowing 3.98 earned runs per nine. His 19.6% strikeout rate was below average but he limited walks to a 5.8% pace. He also logged 46 1/3 postseason innings in that span with a 4.08 ERA.

But in 2024, he couldn’t get on the mound due to elbow/forearm issues. He eventually required Tommy John surgery in June. The Astros could have retained him for 2025 via arbitration but instead put him on waivers. Urquidy cleared and elected free agency. The Tigers signed him to a one-year deal with a $1MM guarantee and a 2026 club option worth $4MM plus escalators. Urquidy started a rehab assignment in early August and appears to be in good form. He has tossed 19 2/3 innings with a 3.20 ERA, 21.6% strikeout rate, 6.8% walk rate and 49.1% ground ball rate.

It doesn’t appear as though Urquidy will be inserted into the rotation, since he’s not fully stretched out. He didn’t throw more than three innings in any of his rehab appearances. In his most recent outing, he threw 28 pitches over two innings. He will therefore presumably jump into a multi-inning role in the Detroit bullpen.

Gipson-Long had been in the rotation, so his neck injury drops the team from five to four. They have Tarik Skubal going tonight and Charlie Morton tomorrow. They don’t have a starter listed for Sunday. Manager A.J. Hinch tells Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic that Sunday will be a bullpen game. The club is off on Monday. Casey Mize and Jack Flaherty will go on Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by Skubal on Thursday. Urquidy, Chris Paddack and Keider Montero could perhaps pitch in multi-inning roles on Sunday.

The club never plays more than six games in a row the rest of the way, so perhaps they will get by with four traditional starters and some bullpen games. They have a fairly comfortable lead of 8.5 games over the Guardians in the Central. They are also five games up on the Astros/Mariners for the second first-round bye.

As for Brieske, it was reported a few weeks back that his season was essentially over, so this move isn’t a shock. The one benefit for him with this move is that he will receive big league pay and service time for the next few weeks. He is making $1.025MM this year and will be due a raise in arbitration. However, since he posted a 6.55 ERA in 22 innings this year, he won’t have much ability to push that salary up.

Photo courtesy of Erik Williams, Imagn Images

Alex Cobb To Undergo Season-Ending Hip Surgery

By Mark Polishuk | September 6, 2025 at 2:38pm CDT

Hip issues have kept Alex Cobb on the injured list all season, and the veteran righty officially announced the end of his lost year by telling reporters (including the Detroit Free Press’ Evan Petzold and The Athletic’s Cody Stavenhagen) that he’ll be undergoing resurfacing surgery on his right hip. This is the third hip-related surgery Cobb has undergone since the start of the 2019 season.

Cobb went into detail with the media about his injury-marred 2025 campaign, and all of the stops and starts faced during multiple rehab assignments. Cobb turns 38 in October, and he admitted that he was at least considering retirement in the wake of his injury woes. We should know more about Cobb’s decision in the coming weeks, as he’ll likely want to see how his body responds in the wake of the surgery, not to mention the natural discussions with his family about whether or not to step away from the sport.

If this is indeed it for Cobb, his 2025 campaign is an unfortunate coda on the end of an impressive 13-season run in the majors. His tenure with the Tigers will conclude without even a single pitch thrown, making Detroit’s $15MM free agent investment in Cobb into a total wash. There was some hope that Cobb could make it back as a relief pitcher before the season was over, but he was pulled off his rehab assignment at the end of August.

Cobb’s previous hip surgery during the 2023-24 offseason (when he was still a member of the Giants) ended up sidelining him for longer than expected, as Cobb then developed elbow soreness during his rehab process. Traded from San Francisco to Cleveland at the deadline, Cobb tossed a total of 22 innings for the Guardians, with three starts in the regular season and two more in the playoffs.

Despite the lack of workload, the Tigers felt confident enough in Cobb’s medicals and track record to give him a one-year, $15MM deal last winter. While Detroit is sailing towards the AL Central crown and hasn’t necessarily missed Cobb, it is easy with 50-50 hindsight to speculate on the many ways the Tigers could’ve otherwise used that $15MM to upgrade the roster, particularly since the club didn’t spend much in general last offseason.

Injuries have been an unwelcome subplot of Cobb’s career, with the recurring hip problems and a 2015 Tommy John surgery standing out as the major health setbacks. Though it all, Cobb has usually been an effective starter when he has been able to pitch, posting a 3.84 ERA over 1327 2/3 innings with five different big league clubs. His most effective season in terms of fWAR (3.7) came in 2022 during his age-34 season, and he received his first All-Star nod in 2023.

AL Central Notes: Ragans, Sewald, Olson, Brennan

By Mark Polishuk | September 6, 2025 at 10:57am CDT

Cole Ragans is set to begin a rehab assignment on Sunday, with a scheduled two-inning start planned with Triple-A Omaha. It has now been over three months since Ragans was sidelined by a rotator cuff strain, and if the southpaw is able to make it back to the Royals rotation before the season is over, it won’t be in a full-fledged starting role. “We know we don’t have the time to get him built up to five or six innings,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro told reporters (including Jaylon Thompson of the Kansas City Star), indicating that Ragans would still be a starter, but perhaps in a piggyback capacity or as the lead pitcher of a bullpen game.

Seth Lugo was just placed on the 15-day IL earlier this week due to a back strain, and Kris Bubic’s season was ended by a rotator cuff strain in late July. Despite these and other injuries, the Royals’ pitching staff has still been the biggest factor in keeping the team afloat in the wild card race, as Kansas City’s offense has remained inconsistent. If the Royals can stick around in the playoff hunt until late September, getting Ragans back in even a limited capacity might be a huge boost in helping K.C. return to the postseason.

9 Contract Options To Keep An Eye On In September

By Steve Adams | September 5, 2025 at 6:34pm CDT

The final push of the 2025 season is upon is, which means postseason chases for fans lucky enough to root for contending clubs and offseason dreams for those whose clubs are already out of the running. It also means that players with vesting clauses in their contract and/or performance incentives are beginning to unlock bonuses related to plate appearances, innings pitched, games finished, etc.

In particular, there are a handful of club options that are worth keeping an eye on either for incentive purposes or for season-long rehabbers who’ll have a limited September window to audition for next year’s club. MLBTR’s Anthony Franco already highlighted the three vesting options of note last month, but we’ll still take a look at how those players are tracking and also shine a light on six more club/mutual options that’ll have some present financial ramifications as well as potential 2026 roster implications.

Here are nine options to keep in the back of your mind as the season’s final weeks play out…

Pete Fairbanks, RHP, Rays

Fairbanks’ three-year, $12MM extension with Tampa Bay contained a $7MM club option for the 2026 season, but he’s boosted that option’s value considerably. Fairbanks already triggered $1.5MM in escalators based on his total appearances in the first three seasons of the deal, and he’s maxed out a set of escalators based on his number of games finished in 2025, tacking another $2MM onto the option price. His option at this moment is valued at $10.5MM, but if he appears in even two more games this year, he’ll boost his 2023-25 appearance count to 150, adding another $1MM to its value. If he appears in seven of Tampa Bay’s final 22 games, he’ll bump his 2025 appearance total to 60 and add yet another $1MM escalator onto the deal.

A $12.5MM salary for a reliever is steep for the Rays, but Fairbanks has pitched a career-high 52 1/3 innings and logged a 3.10 ERA, 25.2% strikeout rate and 7% walk rate en route to 24 saves. Even if the Rays were hesitant to commit $11.5MM or $12.5MM to a frequently injured reliever who’ll turn 32 in December, a team with lesser budgetary concerns would be willing to do. The option will very likely be picked up either way, but the steeper the cost, the likelier an offseason trade becomes.

Andrés Muñoz, RHP, Mariners

Muñoz’s four-year, $7.5MM contract has become one of the game’s great bargains. At the time of the agreement, he’d made just one appearance for the M’s and had only 23 2/3 major league innings under his belt due to Tommy John surgery. The four-year term bought out his final pre-arbitration year and all three arbitration seasons, while also giving Seattle options on his first three free agent years. It’s easy to say now that Muñoz would’ve earned more through arbitration, but it’s hard to blame a 22-year-old who’d scarcely pitched in the majors for locking in that life-changing payday, and there was some modest risk for the Mariners in the deal as well.

The first of those three option years has a $6MM base value, but Muñoz has already boosted that by $500K. He unlocked $250K option escalators when he reached 20 and 30 games finished on the season. He’s finished 39 games now, and he’ll hit additional $250K escalators when he finishes his 40th and 45th games of the season. The first of those is a lock, and the second is certainly within reach.

Muñoz’s contract also has an $8MM club option for 2027 and a $10MM club option for 2028. He can boost both those figures by $1MM with the same set of escalators based on his games finished in the next two seasons, and beginning next year, he can also earn an additional $2MM per season based on games finished.

John Means, LHP, Guardians

Coming off his second career Tommy John surgery, Means signed a one-year, $1MM deal with the Guardians. Cleveland knew full well he’d miss most of the season recovering from last summer’s UCL operation. Means has a $6MM club option, with no buyout. He can’t boost that sum any further, but he’s on the cusp of returning to the majors and making what’ll amount to a two- or three-start audition.

Means, 32, has made four minor league rehab starts and has pitched well. He’s tossed 13 1/3 innings and yielded four earned runs (2.70 ERA) on eight hits and five walks with 13 punchouts. He’d been slated to make his final rehab start today before being scratched with an illness, but a return to the majors could happen as soon as next weekend.

When healthy, Means has been a high-quality starter. He’s posted a 3.68 ERA in 401 big league innings, all coming with the Orioles. He’s a former Opening Day starter and All-Star for Baltimore who has twice topped 140 innings in a season. A pair of UCL surgeries has limited him to just 52 1/3 innings since Opening Day 2022, however.

The Athletic’s Zack Meisel suggests that as long as Means is healthy, the option will be picked up. The Guards have committed a full year to rehabilitating the talented lefty. And, as explored at MLBTR last night, Cleveland has an uncharacteristic need for some pitching upgrades. A $6MM gamble on Means isn’t exactly a pricey roll of the dice, but the Guardians are one of the sport’s lowest-payroll clubs. If Means returns next week and gets rocked in his only two or three big league starts this year, it doesn’t feel like a given that they’ll dedicate that $6MM sum to him. If he looks even close to his old form, it seems like a reasonable risk to take. His handful of starts will be worth watching with a careful eye for Cleveland fans.

Jose Urquidy, RHP, Tigers

Urquidy is in a very similar situation to that of Means. He’s rehabbing from a second career Tommy John surgery and signed a one-year, $1MM deal with a $4MM club option for the 2026 season. Like Means, he’s on a minor league rehab assignment right now and could be activated in the near future. The former Astros righty tossed three scoreless innings for Triple-A Toledo three days ago and has now pitched 14 2/3 minor league innings with a 4.30 ERA and a 12-to-3 K/BB ratio.

Urquidy and Means have nearly identical career innings totals, though Urquidy’s 405 frames have come in a more condensed five seasons. From 2019-22, the right-hander posted a 3.74 ERA with a 20.3% strikeout rate and 5.2% walk rate in 342 innings for Houston. He was hit hard in a 2023 season that was shortened by shoulder troubles (5.29 ERA in 63 frames) and didn’t pitch in 2024 due to the elbow/forearm discomfort that eventually prompted his Tommy John surgery in early June last year.

If Urquidy comes back anywhere close to that 2019-22 form, a $4MM option should be a no-brainer, but a rocky performance could give the Tigers reason to pause. Urquidy’s return will also be worth monitoring since he could pitch his way into postseason roster consideration for Detroit.

Tyler Kinley, RHP, Braves

Atlanta looked past Kinley’s dismal 5.66 ERA with the Rockies and acquired him in July, clearly believing that the hard-throwing righty was only a few tweaks away from success. It’s been a masterstroke. Kinley has pitched 13 2/3 innings and allowed just one run since being traded to Atlanta in exchange for 26-year-old Double-A righty Austin Smith. The Braves have Kinley throwing even more sliders and working with a slightly lower release point, and the results have been stellar — albeit in a small sample.

The Braves were out of the postseason chase by the time the deadline rolled around, so the mere fact that they traded for a potential free agent with a 2026 club option signaled that they were open to exercising that option in spite of his struggles. Kinley’s success in Atlanta makes it quite likely he’ll return, but there’s a good chance it won’t be at the $5MM base price of his value. His contract contains option escalators based on games finished, the first of which kicks in at 20. Kinley has currently finished 18 games this year, including three with Atlanta. If he finishes two more, he’ll boost next year’s option to $5.5MM — and he’ll also unlock a $500K bonus for the current season.

It’s not a major change, but those incentives would bump him from a $2.08MM luxury tax hit to $2.875MM. Assuming the options on Kinley, Pierce Johnson, Chris Sale, Ozzie Albies and Ha-Seong Kim are all exercised, Atlanta will have $207.5MM committed to next year’s books when the offseason begins (before accounting for arbitration raises).

Harrison Bader, OF, Phillies

Bader has proven to be a terrific pickup for the Phils, hitting .307/.374/.477 in his first 99 plate appearances since being traded over from Minnesota. He’s up to 406 plate appearances on the season, which is just enough for his incentive structure to kick in. The $1.5MM buyout on Bader’s $10MM mutual option jumped to $1.7MM when he reached 400 plate appearances, and it’ll climb to $1.9MM at 425 plate appearances and $2.1MM if he reaches 450. It’s a minor bump, but for a Phillies club that’s a third-time luxury payor in the top tier of penalization, they’ll pay a 110% tax on the prorated portion of that extra $600K.

Given the strength of Bader’s play, they’ll happily pay that, of course, and the increased buyout does nothing to change the fact that Bader will return to free agency this winter. It’s been over a decade since the last time both sides of a mutual option were exercised in MLB (Brewers, Aramis Ramirez in 2014). Bader’s plus defense and strong season at the plate should position him for a multi-year deal in the offseason.

Jorge Polanco, INF, Mariners

Polanco is nine plate appearances shy of converting his 2026 mutual option into a $6MM player option. He’s also already tacked $2MM onto his 2025 salary via plate appearance incentives, and when he hits the 450 mark needed to trigger that player option, he’ll unlock another $500K. That’ll bump the veteran switch-hitter up to a $9.5MM salary in 2025. He’d get another $500K if he can make it to 500 plate appearances, but it’s not a guarantee he’ll get 59 plate appearances in between now and season’s end.

Though he’s slumped considerably in the middle months of the season, Polanco has heated up again in the past three weeks. He’s slashing .254/.319/.471 with 23 homers and 17 doubles in only 441 plate appearances — miles better than the down year he had with the M’s in 2024 before undergoing offseason knee surgery. He’s played well enough that he’s probably going to decline a $6MM player option anyhow, but it’ll be a nice safety net in the event of an injury (so long as it’s not a lower-half injury, as his contract contains language that’d prevent the player option from kicking in if he’s dealing with an injury related to that offseason knee procedure).

Matt Strahm, LHP, Phillies

Strahm is on the cusp of having his contract’s 2026 option vest. While that originally came at a $4.5MM base value, he’s already boosted the option value to $6.5MM via $1MM escalators at 40 and 50 innings pitched. Once he reaches 60, the option value increases to its maximum $7.5MM. The contract also stipulates that if Strahm pitches 60 innings and passes a physical at the end of the season, it’ll automatically vest.

Strahm has been excellent in 2025, logging 56 1/3 frames of 2.88 ERA ball with a 27.9% strikeout rate and 7.7% walk rate. He’s saved six games and tallied 17 holds. The Phillies would’ve picked up the option anyhow, but this removes any doubt.

Lucas Giolito, RHP, Red Sox

Giolito’s two-year, $38.5MM contract with Boston couldn’t have started much worse. The typically durable righty went down with a UCL injury in spring training last year, ultimately requiring surgery that wiped out his entire 2024 season. His 2025 return didn’t appear to be going well early on, either. Through his first seven starts, the 31-year-old was shelled for a 6.42 ERA in just 33 2/3 innings.

Since June 10, however, Giolito has returned to form. He’s started 15 games, totaled 91 2/3 innings and logged a pristine 2.26 earned run average. His 21.1% strikeout rate and 8.6% walk rate in that time are both about half a percentage point worse than league average among starting pitchers, but it’s been a strong run overall, pushing his season ERA down to a tidy 3.38.

That turnaround would make Giolito’s $14MM club option likely to be picked up — but it’s not likely to remain a club option. The right-hander’s contract stipulates that with 140 innings pitched this year, that option converts into a $19MM mutual option with a $1.5MM buyout. With 125 1/3 innings under his belt, Giolito only needs another 14 2/3 frames in the final three weeks to convert that option to mutual status. If and when he reaches that point, Giolito is a lock to decline his half of the mutual option, collect that buyout and return to free agency in search of a multi-year deal. The Sox could — and likely would — counter with a qualifying offer, but the hefty contracts for mid-rotation arms like Eduardo Rodriguez (four years, $80MM), Sean Manaea (three years, $75MM), Taijuan Walker (four years, $72MM), Jameson Taillon (four years, $68MM) and Luis Severino (three years, $67MM) in recent offseasons all suggest that Giolito can reasonably seek a pricey three- or four-year deal ahead of what’ll be his age-31 season.

Tigers Place Kyle Finnegan On Injured List, Activate Parker Meadows

By Steve Adams | September 5, 2025 at 2:22pm CDT

The Tigers announced Friday that right-hander Kyle Finnegan has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to a right adductor strain. Finnegan felt tightness when warming up in the bullpen recently and was held back from entering that game. The team had hoped he’d avoid an IL trip, but Finnegan will now be down for at least the next couple weeks.

In more positive news, the corresponding move for placing Finnegan on the injured list is the reinstatement of outfielder Parker Meadows from the 10-day IL. He’s been out since late July due to a strained quadriceps but is in tonight’s lineup, hitting ninth and playing center field.

Detroit acquired the 32-year-old Finnegan from the Nationals at the deadline in exchange for pitching prospects Josh Randall and R.J. Sales. He’s been exceptional in his new surroundings, firing 14 1/3 shutout innings with a mammoth 38.8% strikeout rate against a sharp 6.1% walk rate. The Nats have more than doubled the usage rate on Finnegan’s splitter and have him throwing far fewer four-seamers, and he’s seen enormous jumps in both strikeout rate and swinging-strike rate (from 9.2% to 14.3%).

Finnegan has always had plus velocity but has generally posted strikeout rates around the league average despite that fact. He’s still sitting 96.3 mph on his four-seamer, per Statcast, but the Tigers have helped him unlock greater bat-missing ability, which should bode well for his return trip to free agency at season’s end. For the time being, the focus will be on getting him back to the field as quickly as possible. Finnegan has picked up four saves and a hold with Detroit, and since his acquisition, he’s been their No. 2 option in high-leverage situations behind Will Vest.

As for the 25-year-old Meadows, he’s had a season to forget, thanks in no small part to injuries. The 2018 second-rounder had a breakout performance in 2024 when he hit .244/.310/.433 with nine homers, nine steals and strong defense in 82 big league games. He missed the first two-plus months of the current season due to a nerve issue in his upper arm, however, and he strained his quad only seven weeks after returning. In the interim, he hit just .200/.270/.296 with a 29.2% strikeout rate that was up four percentage points over his 2024 level.

The Tigers have been using Wenceel Perez and Javier Baez in center field, but Perez’s glove doesn’t grade out particularly well there and Baez can now mix in at additional positions as he continues to embrace his super-utility role. Meadows will be flanked by Riley Greene and a combination of Perez, Baez, Justyn-Henry Malloy and Kerry Carpenter in the outfield.

Tigers Move Chris Paddack To Bullpen

By Darragh McDonald | September 2, 2025 at 4:18pm CDT

Right-hander Chris Paddack is moving from Detroit’s rotation to the bullpen. Tigers manager A.J Hinch announced the development today to reporters, including Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press.

Paddack, 29, was acquired from the Twins ahead of the trade deadline. The Tigers gave up catching prospect Enrique Jimenez in order to acquire Paddack and also minor leaguer Randy Dobnak from their division rival.

The Detroit rotation has taken a number of hits this year. They signed Alex Cobb in the offseason but he still hasn’t thrown a pitch for them due to hip injuries. Jackson Jobe required Tommy John surgery in June. Ty Madden has been out all year due to a shoulder strain and isn’t expected to return. The same day the Tigers acquired Paddack, Reese Olson was placed on the 60-day injured list due to his own shoulder strain.

To address those injuries, the Tigers added Paddack and also Charlie Morton at the deadline. Those two have been in the rotation alongside Tarik Skubal, Jack Flaherty and Casey Mize over the past few weeks.

The Paddack acquisition received criticism at the time, as he wasn’t having a great season. He started 21 times for the Twins, logging 111 innings, allowing 4.95 earned runs per nine. His 5.7% walk rate was good but his 17.6% strikeout rate and 36.4% ground ball rate were both subpar figures. Since coming to Detroit, things have not improved. He has made six starts with a 5.40 ERA, 11.6% strikeout rate, 4.1% walk rate and 33.3% ground ball rate.

That performance will get Paddack bumped out of the rotation. What’s not known is what comes next. The Tigers have recalled Sawyer Gipson-Long to start today’s game. It’s unclear if this is a spot start or if he has a rotation gig going forward.

It’s possible they may not replace Paddack in the rotation at all. The Tigers famously deployed “pitching chaos” last year, using a large number of openers, bullpen games and bulk guys, while Skubal was at times the only real starter. They have Gipson-Long going tonight and Mize on Wednesday. They are then off on Thursday and host the White Sox for three on the weekend. After that, they are off every Monday, playing six games in a row in between each of those off-days.

They could again do a lot of bullpen games, deploying a four-man rotation while using guys like Gipson-Long, Troy Melton and Paddack for multiple innings. Cobb has been moved to a relief role as the Tigers try to get him healthy somehow, but he could perhaps cover some innings. Keider Montero is on optional assignment and could be recalled.

Ultimately, it’s not a huge deal for the club now. They are cruising to a division win, currently holding a nine-game lead over the Royals. Paddack wasn’t going to be in their playoff rotation, so they’ll try him out of the bullpen. They probably regret giving up Jimenez to a division rival, though he’s only 19 years old and it’s hard to say if he’ll eventually make it as a major leaguer down the line.

For Paddack personally, it’s less than ideal. He is a few weeks away from reaching free agency for the first time. He has shown promise earlier in his career, particularly his 2019 rookie season with the Padres. He tossed 140 2/3 innings that year with a 3.33 ERA, 26.9% strikeout rate, 5.5% walk rate and 40.2% ground ball rate.

Unfortunately, his results backed up from there. Tommy John surgery wiped out a decent chunk of his 2022-2024 seasons. He has been able to log 141 innings so far this year, the highest total of his career, but he hasn’t regained his previous strikeout stuff. He’ll now be going into free agency without a lot of momentum and will likely be looking for a bounceback pillow deal somewhere.

Photo courtesy of Junfu Han, Imagn Images

Tigers Shut Down Beau Brieske Due To Elbow Soreness

By Mark Polishuk | August 30, 2025 at 9:02am CDT

Right-hander Beau Brieske has been on Triple-A Toledo’s injured list since July 10 due to elbow soreness, and Tigers GM Jeff Greenberg told reporters (including the Detroit News’ Chris McCosky) yesterday that the reliever had a setback during a recent bullpen session. As a result, Brieske will be shut down for the next 4-6 weeks, meaning that his 2025 season is all but officially over, barring both a deep Tigers postseason run and a rather improbable activation to a playoff roster.

The extent of Brieske’s elbow problems aren’t yet known, as Greenberg only said that surgery was “not yet” an option. Brieske has missed time due to forearm issues in the past but hasn’t undergone a major arm procedure during his career.

A 27th-round pick for the Tigers in the 2019 draft, Brieske made his MLB debut as a starter in 2022, and was then shifted into a multi-inning relief role in 2023. This usage continued into last season, as Brieske made 12 pseudo-starts as an opener, mostly late in the year. Brieske’s flexibility out of the pen was a key part of the “pitching chaos” strategy that the Tigers used down the stretch to help fuel their late-season surge into a playoff spot.

Brieske delivered a 3.86 ERA over 184 1/3 innings and 86 games from 2022-24, with steadily increasing strikeout rates across those three seasons. In 2025, however, Brieske posted only a 6.55 ERA across 22 innings and appearances, as his season was impacted by injuries even before his elbow soreness — ankle problems hampered Brieske in Spring Training and led to an early-season IL placement. The bottom fell out when Brieske was charged for five runs in just a third of an inning on June 11, and he was optioned to Triple-A the next day.

Brieske is arbitration-controlled through the 2028 season and is due only a minimal raise on his $1.025MM salary from 2025, though his health status may hinge on whether or not Detroit tenders him a contract. If his elbow heals up without the need for surgery, the Tigers could well bring him back given his modest price tag, and the hope that Brieske will return to his old form with better health in 2026.

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