The Tigers have signed corner outfielder Jorge Bonifacio to a minor-league contract, reports Jason Beck of MLB.com (via Twitter). The deal includes an invite to spring training, Beck adds.
Bonifacio was released last month by the Royals, with whom he spent the first ten years of his pro career. He appeared at the MLB level each of the past three seasons with Detroit’s division rivals.
While Bonifacio once looked like a potential long-term piece in KC, things have gone south the past two years. He was suspended for the first 80 games of 2018 for performance-enhancing drugs, and he struggled at the plate in that season’s second half. He spent almost all of 2019 at Triple-A Omaha, where he was dreadful offensively. Bonifacio’s .222/.284/.417 slash translated to just a 62 wRC+ in the hitters’ haven that was the Pacific Coast League. Despite the Royals’ struggles at the big league level, Bonifacio only made it back to the highest level for five games.
That said, it’s a reasonable roll of the dice for the Tigers, where Travis Demeritte failed to stake a claim to the right field job after Nicholas Castellanos was traded mid-season. Bonifacio is still just 26 years old and only two years removed from putting up a serviceable .255/.320/.432 (98 wRC+) line. Bonifacio’s out of options, so if he does make the team, he’ll need to remain on the active roster or else be re-exposed to waivers. Given Detroit’s lack of uncertainty in the outfield, it seems he’s found a reasonable opportunity to reestablish himself.
World Series-bound!!
Tigers vs Marlins 2020!
Maybe 3020….
LMAO
This is super-key.
Sounds like the Tigers FO will not sign Addison Russell after their fans ( all 8 of them ) objected.
Can you blame them for listening to the fans? The guy is a piece of trash and the fans are already pissed that they suck. Attendance is gonna be down as it is.
What a mean-spirited comment, BigBadLittleDickey.
Tiger fans do not suffer bad baseball gladly.
Pathetic that they didn’t sign Russell. With the opportunity to do that, and then not doing it, and the state of horror that team is in, you know all you need to know about the team and that clown Avila.
All jokes aside this is actually a solid depth signing by Avila
Tigers 2020 victories number……over or under 52 ?
Under. I’m predicting another 43 win 119 loss season like they had the year before Pudge Rodriguez signed there. I thought one line in this article was hilarious: “Bonifacio was released last month by the Kansas City Royals… Detroit’s Division Rivals.”
I think that is technically true because every team in any teams division is a division rival. I can’t knock the writer for saying it but it’s funny because everyone thinks of “division rivals” as the top two teams in a division competing for the championship. I can’t think of a worse division rivalry in baseball. The Kansas City Royals were definitely the worst 4th place team in baseball and the Tigers were easily the worst overall team in all of baseball. What was their rivalry about? Who would get the highest draft pick?
It’s a rivalry, on a race to the bottom.
No, not “Everyone thinks of ‘division rivals’ as the top two teams in a division…” just because you do. Most of us understand the meaning of the words “division rival”.
Under, big time. Even if all their young pitchers realize their top potential and Zimmerman has a decent bounce to get whatever is left in the tank. This organization doesn’t have a decent young hitter anywhere in the system.
Paredes and Riley Greene.
I agree but the only issue is avilia doesn’t seem in any rush to bring up the prospects even tho the tigers suck they would rather sign 30+ middle infielders then giving there prospects a chance all through the year
And Parker Meadows.
Actually, there are three, but two are years away.
If “all of their young pitchers realized their top potential” they would be contenders.
There are so many better options out there for minor league contracts. I’d like to see Detroit go after Jose Iglesias to play SS and that Peraza guy to play 2B. That would give them a nice double play duo up the middle. Maikel Franco to play 3B and maybe even bring in Corey Dickerson or Kole Calhoun to play one of the OF corners. Then sign a couple bounceback arms like Tijuan Walker or a guy who may draw a couple extra fans like Felix Hernandez and all of a sudden they have a semi-respectable roster to field.
The problem is they don’t want a semi respectable roster they’re still “rebuilding”
I get that but it wouldnt hurt to add a couple younger players or savvy vets that could be used as trade chips or even be part of the core for when they are at the later stages of the rebuild. I guess as a baseball fan, I’m getting tired of seeing teams operate like this. Maybe MLB should start to incorporate a floor cap or require that revenue sharing recipients re-invest that money back into the big league roster.
A team can progress a rebuild by signing legitimate bounceback candidates and then flipping them at the deadline for prospects.
Or by signing former top prospects that could use a change of scenery. I mean, Jake Arrieta was an Orioles after thought after flaming out as a prospect. The Cubs gave him a chance, though, and he was an integral part of their World Series team.
They could rebuild part of the Mariners “future rotation” by signing Walker, King Felix, and Danny Hultzen to minor league/cheap 1 year deals.
They would only do that if they wanted to win. They don’t want to win, they are tanking. A couple years from now they will try and put a decent team out there. Not now.
I wouldn’t necessarily say that signing Iglesias, Franco, Peraza, Calhoun/Dickerson, Walker, or King Felix is putting out a decent team. More like signing a bunch of cheap guys to hope for rebound years so they can flip them for young pieces.
There was a long list of major leaguers that were on waivers. Tigers could have picked any one of them up by just selecting them. No, every one went through waivers unclaimed. Now the Tigers are competing with every other team to get them. If they are trying at all. Each and every one of those players that were on major league teams, was better than what the Tigers have. Guaranteed.
and why does signing Boni make any of these deals impossible?
Franco made $5 mm last season. Not worth it for his numbers.
I was hoping for Corey Dickerson, but Bonifacio is, uhm…
Hey, when is this rebuild going to be over?
In three more years, 2022. Maybe 2024, Al is a little slow.
Franco made $5 mm last season. Not worth it for his numbers.
After the team is sold.
Well it’s something.
Good signing. Thought he’d be a star in KC but then the PED.
PED is what made him good. He is a borderline major leaguer like most of the players the Tigers have picked up.
Not a bad signing. They could use Jose Peraza too. I think Ian Gibaut, Danny Hultzen, and Taijuan Walker would all be great fits in Detroit as well.
I would love to see them take a flier on Walker.
Same
Roberto Ramos would be good in the Rule 5 draft.
I’m sure Tigers would sign all mentioned players, but doubt players are that desperate yet
Exactly, Avila couldn’t even sign his own son when the tigers are targeting a left handed hitting catcher lol
The Tigers aren’t going to pay a platoon player $4.25 mill like the ChiSox did.
I’m sure he could’ve, but then some would claim nepotism..like the last time. It’s a no win situation, and either way big al is “wrong”. I’d like for them to trade for Shea Langeliers.
A .1 WAR in 20 ABs. Give him a 600 and you’ve got yourself a 3 WAR player!!!
THIS IS A BIG GAME CHANGER FOR THE TIGERS
Boni is having a great season in LiDom. He’ll have a great year in Detroit.
Not saying Bonifacio is not going to have a great year. I think he’s going to be an above average hitter that will see some time in RF and DH. But winter league in the Dominican Republic doesn’t correlate with success in the MLB.
AA is looking for another JD Martinez player to put on his resume. This resume has a lot of white space around JD’s name. I hope I am wrong bc the JD type turn around doesn’t happen much. AA needs to think about veteran bounce back players to bring in – I hope that is coming soon. This organization is a mess.
Bonifacio is going to do well… in toledo.
Actually someone with 20+ home run potential
I rather pick two players from the Rule 5 Draft next week. He’s another .200 hitter so WTF?
Y does my phone always comment twicd