3:08pm: Liriano is officially a member of the Tigers.
12:44pm: The Tigers have agreed to a one-year, $4MM contract with lefty Francisco Liriano, reports FanRag’s Robert Murray (Twitter link). The deal also contains another $1MM in available incentives tied to significant awards, Jon Heyman of Fan Rag tweets. Murray had recently tweeted that the market for Liriano, a client of the Legacy Agency, was picking up some steam.
Liriano, 34, enjoyed a resurgence as a key member of the Pirates from 2013-15, somewhat quietly reestablishing himself as a considerably above-average big league starter.
The past two seasons, though, have been another story. Liriano has bounced from Pittsburgh to Toronto to Houston, working to a combined 5.05 ERA through 260 innings as the control issues that hounded him earlier in his career resurfaced (4.8 BB/9, 1.3 HR/9). Accordingly, Liriano’s swinging-strike rate dropped to 11.4 percent in 2016 and 9.6 in 2017 — the worst marks of his career.
Liriano still averages better than 92 mph on his fastball and can induce grounders at an average or better rate. He also held lefties to a fairly feeble .247/.300/.355 slash last season, though one would typically prefer to see a bit more dominance against same-handed opponents when considering a pitcher as a left-handed specialist. It’s not clear at this time whether he’ll function as a starter or a reliever with his new club, though in his run with the Astros last season, he worked exclusively out of the bullpen.
At present, though, the Tigers certainly seem like a team that could use some rotation depth. Ace Michael Fulmer is coming off surgery to re-position the ulnar nerve in his pitching arm, while Jordan Zimmermann battled neck and back injuries in what was a dismal overall season in his second year with Detroit.
Young lefties Daniel Norris and Matt Boyd have yet to cement themselves as quality big league options, even though each has flashed potential on more than one occasion. And righty Mike Fiers, signed earlier this winter to be the fifth starter, is coming off a poor season himself, which led to a non-tender from the Astros. Longtime setup man Alex Wilson is being stretched out as a potential starter this spring as well, and veteran non-roster invitee Travis Wood could also vie for a starting spot.
If Liriano is used in relief, he’ll join Blaine Hardy and Daniel Stumpf as southpaws in a bullpen, where Wood could also compete for a spot. The current composition of the Tigers’ bullpen is thin beyond closer Shane Greene, to put things delicately. Jason Martinez of MLBTR and Roster Resource currently projects Wilson (assuming he doesn’t start), Drew VerHagen, Hardy, Stumpf, Joe Jimenez and Buck Farmer to round out the relief corps behind Greene. Johnny Barbato, Zac Reininger and Jairo Labourt are all 40-man options in Triple-A, while Wood, Enrique Burgos and Victor Alcantara headline the non-roster invitees competing for jobs this spring.
Liriano is a known commodity for much of the Tigers coaching staff, as first-year Detroit manager Ron Gardenhire served as his skipper from 2005-12 with the Twins. Tigers bullpen coach Rick Anderson was Liriano’s pitching coach during his Twins days, while bench coach Steve Liddle and quality control coach Joe Vavra were also on Gardenhire’s staff when Liriano was with Minnesota.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
That’s one way to spell Francisco Lindor.
Frankay
Meh
Yay, another one to beat up on.
Mark those words. the tribe may need a W and this guy may break your heart.
If Frankie has to be a starter, he will be breaking the hearts of Tigers fans.
The Indians DID blow a 3-1 lead.
Twice they blew a series lead.
Honestly as an Indians fan this would be the type of cruel thing I could see happening
2x Comeback Player of the Year. Try to make it 3.
Interesting. I didn’t know that they were in the market after Tillman resigned with the Orioles. Hopefully they can get a decent first half out of Liriano and flip him for prospects in July.
Where is Ryan Carpenter in the Gigantic list?
Man that last paragraph is clunky lol. Why not streamline it into something more like “Liriano is a known commodity for much of the Tigers’ coaching staff: Manager Ron Gardenhire, bullpen coach Rick Anderson, bench coach Steve Liddle, and quality control coach Joe Vavra all worked with Liriano in Minnesota.”
Steve Adams wakes up in the morning and pisses Excellence. But thanks for the suggestion anyways…
He’s not some god figure who’s above criticism…come on now
You’re adorable. I want to pinch your cheeks.
Hey Grandma…didn’t know you had an account and regularly posted comments on MLBTradeRumors.
Adams is a Saint. He’s beyond reproach. He’s a Legend of a Man across the Great State of Minnesota and the greater Twins Territory journalist area.
Cue the grammar police.
It’s not grammar, it’s just about being concise. Steve is usually a fantastic writer.
Stop being THAT GUY! It’s not flattering at all!
Why not let the real writer do the story
Man…$4M for a guy who couldn’t get anyone out? Terrible starter, unreliable reliever.
Must mean he will be half as good as Pelfrey.
All those former twins coaches on the staff and they still signed him?
I like Liriano and hope he does well. But no player has been hurt more by the rapid increase in advanced scouting, video, data, etc. than him.
His breaking pitch looks like a strike before it breaks a foot off the plate. If the batters had only their eyes to rely on, he’d likely still be a very good pitcher. But batters know from the stats and video that he rarely throws strikes early in counts no matter how much it might look like one and they lay off. Once he’s forced to pitch in the zone, they can do damage against him.
I’m not sure what the answer is for him.
Ban advanced scouting, video, data, etc……. 🙂
Seriously though, loved watching him pitch. The Pirates thought he was a bargain at what they signed him for then…….what you said happened and the batters laid off the slider and crushed it when he actually had to throw one over. What looked liked a great deal for the Pirates became an albatross. Had to package a couple of prospects just to get Toronto to take the contract.
Then he struggled in Toronto as a starter and they dealt him for a pretty decent prospect. Think the pirates just undersold themselves there.
Every GM has made a bad trade before
Frankie has been hurt by one thing and one thing only. The “Throw strikes never” philosophy. Liriano is absolutely dominant when he gets ahead, but the scouting report is really out on him at this point. Liriano never throws strikes.
Of pitchers with more than 90 innings last year, Liriano ranks 143rd of 149 in first pitch strikes. (54.4%)
Of pitchers with more than 90 innings last year, Liriano ranks 144th of 149 in zone%. (39.4%)
Liriano’s slider is devastating, but when players know to not swing when Liriano is in a position to throw a breaking ball…. no matter how fat that slider looks… it results in poor performances on the mound.
Liriano’s wOBA last year 0-1 = .279. 1-0 = .379. All he needs to do is throw that first pitch over for a strike more. That’s it.
How does this guy keep getting MLB deals? This was a minor league deal all the way. Or should have been.
He was the Pirates opening day starter in 2016 and then was dominant down the stretch for the Jays. It was really just a bit of a bad stretch last year and for a couple of months the year before. If Tillman could get an MLB deal, there’s no reason Liriano couldn’t
Francisco Liriano Fast facts:
2014: Struggled greatly in the first half of the season, going 1-7 with a 4.72 ERA in 15 starts at the All Star break. However, in the second half of the season after the All Star break he went 6-3 with 2.20 ERA in 14 starts. Overall, Liriano posted a strong season in 2014, going 7-10 with a 3.38 ERA and Pittsburgh re-signed him to 3 years $39M.
2015- Continued his success going 12-7, career-high 207K
2016- 6-11 record 5.46 ERA, 116K, 69 walks in 113.2 Innings
2017- Overall, 2 teams, 5.66 ERA, 38 games (18 Starts) He had 4.40 ERA with Astros, 20 appearances out of the bullpen. Liriano got that 100th regular season career win, and 2017 World Series Champion.
He’s a lefty, and it’s only a 4 mil 1 year deal. If he can pitch like he has in the good times they flip him for a lottery ticket. If not he’s still a mentor and he helps that away.
The Tigers are penny pinching and then they sign a stiff like this you wonder what they know about their own “pitchers”
I was pushing for Tillman before he re-signed with BAL, but IF Liriano can be league average or better and they can flip him for anything of value in July, I guess that’s fine.
why must every acquisition be moved at the deadline? not every player will have a market, and sometimes the team that signs them, wants them. In this case, I doubt there will be much of a market.
When your a rebuilding club like the Tigers, any FA pickup made should be shopped at the deadline, market or not. Guys like Martin, Fiers, Liriano etc, have no future on a club like this and should at least be shopped in July. Otherwise, why even sign them? Those roster spots could’ve been filled by youngsters or 4A type players. The Tigers aren’t winning this much anyways.
Wouldn’t have minded him on the orioles owell
i am a Tigers fan, and I agree. He would have looked good on the Orioles.
with the numbers this guy has had, he looks good on any team that isn’t mine
Yet another example of new manager reaching out to a known but washed up commodity. Gardy remembers a younger model. Tigers going nowhere so nothing to lose.
I hear Nick Punto is available.
For Tiger opponents: In-Game Batting Practice.and Statistics Padding to help you during arbitration. Good for you Tigers for “thinking outside the box” on ways to hurt your opposition.
From champion to bottom of the barrell who will likely be traded in July. I don’t get why the tigers would even add anyone when they are about 40% into a fire sale.
The best signing for the Tigers in years. He should profit from the garden diet enjoyed by many of the pitchers hired in by Detroit Those Tigers are going to be exciting from start to finish. I can hardly wait to take my seat.