1:06pm: The teams have announced the claim. Cincinnati transferred right-hander Rookie Davis to the 60-day disabled list to the 60-day disabled list to clear space on the roster and has already optioned Labourt to minor league camp. Davis underwent hip surgery back in October.
12:54pm: The Reds have claimed left-hander Jairo Labourt off waivers from the Tigers, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports (via Twitter). The Tigers designated Labourt for assignment earlier this week to clear a roster spot for Francisco Liriano.
Labourt, 24 next week, made his big league debut with Detroit last season, appearing in six games and allowing three runs with four strikeouts against seven walks in six innings. Initially acquired from the Blue Jays in the trade that sent David Price to Toronto, Labourt posted excellent numbers in Class-A Advanced and in Double-A last season before stumbling when he reached Triple-A. He tossed 22 innings with the Tigers’ Toledo affiliate, and while his 2.45 ERA was strong he also issued 23 walks in those 22 frames.
Control has long been an issue for Labourt, who has averaged 5.1 walks per nine innings pitched over the course of seven minor league seasons. But, he’s a fairly hard-throwing southpaw with a fastball sitting around 93 mph who averaged a career-best 10.7 K/9 in the minors this past season. The Tigers organization used Labourt exclusively as a reliever last year, though he’s made 87 starts in the minors as well. He’ll add another interesting young arm to a collection of unproven but promising pitchers in Cincinnati as he looks to hone his control and carve out a spot in the Majors. Labourt does have an option remaining as well, so he needn’t be exposed to waivers if he doesn’t break camp in the Reds’ bullpen.
Detroit’s loss is Cincinnati’s gain.
This is a big mistake by the Tigers. There are half a dozen other pitchers on the roster who should have been designated before Labourt. They finally moved him to the bullpen last year, and he posted a 2.17 ERA with a 1.14 WHIP across three levels. Sure, he’s had some control issues, but he has very good stuff and is very hard to hit when he throws strikes. He’s just a prospect, but a better one than several others on the Tigers’ roster. Bad move.
I agree. They’re probably going to cut ties with the out-of-options Buck Farmer and Drew VerHagen at the end of ST (or at least they should), so you definitely have the roster space, and Labourt is one of those young arms that just needs time in AAA to work on his command. Maybe the Tigers know something we don’t, but the fact that a rebuilding club DFAs a young arm for a washed-up Francisco Liriano is such a bad move.
I agree. The Detroit Tigers could use more young players, not less.
I agree. Why not see what this guy could do in the majors. What have they got to lose?
I agree. He is still a prospect. Has ther chance to improve.
This move might bite the Tigers. It will be interesting to see how he progresses if reds can improve his control.
Puzzling that the Tigers DFA him and not Spencer Turnbull, who failed to make any of the top prospects list. I agree with those who said any number of pitchers could have been let go. Chad Bell, Warwick Saupold, Drew VerHagen, and Buck Farmer immediately come to mind. One would hope the Tigers know their players better than anyone, but this just looks like the.unnecessary loss of a prospect, when a number of non-prospects could have been moved instead.
Spence Turnbull is still young and is a late bloomer. I agree that Buck Farmer should have been DFA before this guy but the other pitchers you mentioned are valuable depth pieces so you are dead wrong on DFA those guys.
I’d dump Chad Bell(29) or Blaine Hardy(31) before Farmer.
We couldn’t DFA Buck Farmer bc in the event of an injury to a staring pitchers, he’s one of only a few pitchers in AAA who can eat up innings and has a respectable BB% ratio. Personally, I like Farmer better out of the ‘pen. His velocity is such much better when he can air it out for only an inning.
This guy will not make the bigs. The Tigers know what they’re doing. That said, much room for others to be designated as well.
You overestimate the quality of the arms in the Reds bullpen. He doesn’t exactly have stiff competition.
That David Price trade is starting to smell. Boyd is average at best, Daniel Norris is a tease who could still be a starter in this league but if he fails, the David Price trade becomes a total bust.
How do you call that a bust when Price was going to be gone at the end of a lost Tigers season.
Because a different package could have been received instead? I dont think the Blue Jays were the only suitor.
Dombroski traded Price right before Avila took his job. Dave knew he wasn’t coming back to the Tigers and that Boston was the perfect landing spot. By trading Price midseason, the Jays weren’t able to tender him a qualifying offer and that allowed Dave to sign him in Boston without having to give up any draft picks. At the time Norris was the #11 prospect in baseball and I believe the top rated LHP prospect. The tigers farm system had nothing in terms of ML ready LHP, so pulling the trigger for Norris and Boyd was a no brainer. Boyd was a stud in his first 10-15 starts. I believe he took a no-hitter into the 8th inning in one of his very first starts. But he crashing back to Earth once he couldn’t hit the corners and started leaving 87mph cookies over the heart of the plate.
He’s considered a suspect more than a prospect disagree with you on Farmer and Drew they will make team. Still wondering about Liranio why sign him
I wonder if Farmer and Drew would be further along, and have had more success, if they had just been left in the pen to develop.
Dont have a problem with them gambling on being able to flip Liriano at the deadline. But would have preferred they dump Chad Bell or Blaine Hardy instead. Both are too old to be considered prospects. and would have gone unclaimed.
Bell and Hardy are garbage. As far as Labourt goes….just another guy who couldn’t find the strike zone. Baseball history is littered with them.
This is a nice scrapheap pickup by the Reds. 23 year old left handed middle relievers do not grow on trees.
It would be nice to see the Reds spend some money rather than rely soley on the scrapheap. Also, being that their ballpark turns below average hitters into Mark McGwires I would like to see them trade hitting for groundball pitchers.
Why keep Shebler, Duval, Suarez and Gennett when their value is at its peak when anyone could hit 20 homeruns in that ballpark?
Welcome to back for the Randy Smith errrrrrrrrr Al Avila era of Tigers Baseball. It’ll be a miracle if we win 70 this season.
Welcome to the Randy Smith errrrrrrrrr Al Avila era of Tigers Baseball. We’ll be lucky to win 70 games this year.