The Tigers and right-hander Edward Mujica have agreed to a minor league contract with an invite to Major League Spring Training, reports Tommy Stokke of FanRag Sports (Twitter link). Mujica is represented by Octagon.
[Related: Detroit Tigers Depth Chart]
The 32-year-old Mujica (33 in May) opened the 2016 season in the Phillies’ minor league ranks but was granted his release after not being promoted by mid-July. Mujica worked to a 3.69 ERA with 6.2 K/9 against a pristine 0.9 BB/9 (27 strikeouts, four walks) in 39 innings with the Phillies’ Triple-A affiliate in Lehigh Valley. He went on to sign with the Royals but struggled with their Triple-A affiliate before latching on with the Twins’ Triple-A affiliate and again pitching quite well to close out the year. All told, the former Cardinals closer logged a 4.37 ERA with 7.6 K/9 against 1.2 BB/9 in 57 2/3 innings at Triple-A last year.
Mujica, of course, comes with a great deal of Major League experience as well. After breaking into the bigs with the Indians back in 2006 at the age of 22, he cemented himself as a Major League bullpen piece with the Padres in 2009, logging a 3.94 ERA in 93 2/3 innings. From 2009-13, Mujica was a quality, durable reliever for San Diego, Miami and St. Louis, posting a collective 3.31 ERA with 7.4 K/9, 1.4 BB/9 and roughly average ground-ball tendencies. He saved 37 games for the 2013 Cardinals before hitting free agency and inking a two-year deal with the Red Sox. The first season of that deal proved solid, if a bit underwhelming (3.90 ERA in 60 innings), but his 2015 season was split between Boston and Oakland, and the resulting 4.75 ERA was far from impressive.
The Tigers will have Francisco Rodriguez closing games for them to begin the 2017 season (barring a trade) and also project to have Justin Wilson, Bruce Rondon and Alex Wilson in next year’s bullpen. Top prospect Joe Jimenez was dominant in Triple-A last season and could factor into the mix early in the year as well. Veterans Mark Lowe and Mike Pelfrey are also likely ticketed for ’pen work, though each is coming off a dreadful 2016 season and could potentially see his contract dumped if the Tigers are willing to eat some of the remaining cash they’re owed. Among non-roster invitees, Mujica will compete with the likes of fellow former big leaguers Collin Balester, A.J. Achter and Logan Kensing in trying to earn a roster spot this spring.
Guy was a TOTAL bust in Boston.
Lol @ the tigers
Lol @ bkwalker510
Meh. Hard to get excited about all these minor league signings.
Laughing stock of the MLB. Frustrated#1
Kyle Ryan should also be listed as a Tigers bullpen asset. Not unless I missed something.
This right here. Kyle Ryan was dominant in the second half. Him and VerHagen should have shots over Pelfrey and Jimenez right now.
Everything about the Pelfrey signing showed Avila’s ignorance. The re-signing of his zero-ballplayer son is something else altogether, but at the same end of the spectrum. Pitching staff seems solid, albeit with decisions to be made. Team needs a starting CF
Avila is a perfectly fine backup catcher. Most backup catchers have zero offensive skills. Avila gets on base, at least.
Can’t have an all-star at every position on a mid market team….not every signing is a success. Happens all the time…
195 million payroll is not a midmarket team…. Detroit is handcuffed by three or four big dollar contracts,that is their problem, not the size of their market
Upton is probably the worst contract, but Cabrera is by far the most crippling going forward
They are still a mid market team. If you’ve been following them any length of time, you’d know they have been spending beyond their means for quite some time. They may be spending like LA and NY…but they aren’t LA and NY and that’s a simple fact. Regardless, everyone is blaming Avila for the mess we are in….that’s on Dave and 100% why he left/got fired.
Hey let’s give my son 2M for his BD.
I like Alex but his Dad doesn’t have a clue how to rebuild a team.
This
Hey let’s trade Pelfrey for Mike Trout…I mean what is expected at this point? Dave buried the team and is gone. Avila has a mess to clean up and I’m not sure how it gets done in 1 year unless we are playing MLB the show….be realistic….
Did last year not exist?
Yep so he’s had 1 year….thanks for clarifying. Upton and Zimm were all Illitch. Like it or not, the owner has the final say. Thanks to Dave, Al had no choice but to go after FA’s because he didn’t have any tradeable assets….this issue didn’t start with Avila. Don’t be stupid
I was thinking that today myself.
The Francisco Rodriguez and Justin Wilson acquisitions seem like a good trades…for now. However, the rest of Avilla’s moves seem pretty bad. In retrospect, the team would have performed better if the Tigers had made the following moves:
BULLPEN
Re-sign Neftali Feliz; do not sign Mark Lowe.
Re-sign Rajai Davis, keep Ian Kroll; do not acquire Cameron Maybin
BENCH
Keep Jefry Marte; do not sign Mike Aviles or Casey McGehee
CATCHING
Re-sign Alex Avilla; do not sign Jarrod Saltalamacchia
If the Tigers don’t sign Justin Upton, Jordan Zimmerman and Mike Pelfry and if the Tigers abandon their “Look outside their organization first” philosophy and try to develop a team, they would’n’t be in the financial mess they’re in now.
All of this started with Dave….don’t let him off that easy lol. They had to look outside because Dave traded away every young asset we had….
And he did that to get Miggy, Vmart, Scherzer, Granderson, Fister, Sanchez…etc…don’t be pissed that DD turned the Tigers from a laughing stock to a perennial powerhouse. Get off your high horse and be thankful for the 8 years of greatness DD gave us.
But now we are stuck with a bunch of old players and no youth from which to develop….I fail to understand how that’s Avila’s fault….I’m merely pointing that out. Of course I’m happy otherwise but to jump all over Avila when he has nothing to work with makes 0 sense to me…so get off your high horse?
Lowe Pelfrey Balester Achter Kensing are not going to help the Tigers improve. Throw Greene in with him.
What in the World is AA and Asmus doing? Oh I forgot they don’t know what there doing. Where do you see the word “young” in any of these guys . Say 1 thing…. do the opposite. Period. YES I FRUSTRATED
Young players are not going to be minor league FA’s. Every team has to fill up their minor league rosters. Young prospects are acquired in trades, not signings. I do agree that they need to sign players that have a chance to help the team if injuries should happen and the Mujica signing is the first one that even seems to have that potential. I would prefer they play for this year in their depth signings as it’s looking like they are unable to find the young CF they need for what they have to trade.