The Tigers have signed right-hander Ben Taylor to a minor league contract, per a team announcement. The club also signed righty Cale Coshow, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press tweets. Additionally, MLBTR has learned that yet another righty, Ricardo Pinto, is joining the organization.
Taylor threw 23 1/3 major league innings as a member of the Red Sox and Indians from 2017-18, in which he logged an ugly 5.40 ERA. But Taylor recorded a much more encouraging 3.94 SIERA and an above-average 24.8 percent strikeout rate during that time. The 28-year-old owns a 3.91 ERA in 126 2/3 Triple-A frames, but he struggled at that level with the Diamondbacks in 2019 and didn’t pitch professionally last season.
Coshow, also 28, is a former Yankees draft pick (13th round, 2013) who hasn’t gotten to the majors yet. He appeared in Triple-A in each season from 2017-19 and combined for a 4.89 ERA across 77 1/3 innings.
Pinto has a bit of experience in the bigs with the Phillies and Rays, with whom he posted a horrid 8.44 ERA with similarly woeful strikeout and walk percentages (15.8 and 11.9, respectively) in parts of two seasons and over 32 innings. The 27-year-old spent last season as a member of SK Wyverns in the Korea Baseball Organization, but he also had trouble keeping runs off the board there. While Pinto did amass 30 starts and 162 innings, opposing offenses lit him up for a 6.17 ERA.
Maybe he will pitch batting practice for the team… build up their confidence.
Someone has to pitch in AAA.
It seems like people who post on this site forget that (or maybe this site acts as just a place to be snarky)….
Don’t the Tigers have a plethora of pitching prospects? Didn’t the major leagues just cut a bunch of minor league teams? Wasn’t there a limited draft last year?
Seems like there will be plenty of players vying for fewer spots.
(or maybe this site acts as just a place to be ignorant)
Yes, “ Maybe he will pitch batting practice for the team… build up their confidence”, is a pretty ignorant comment….but no different than 80 percent of the comments here
Yaz, grow a pair.
You have as many working brain cells as the real Bib Gibson…non living!
The minors had a ton of guys who are not good enough but they needed them to field a team. Guys are going to have less time to impress and move up because they are going to be playing tougher competition from the get go.
Maybe they are just giving him a shot to see if he can fill a RP role or be depth at the AAA level. Tigers are on the verge of promoting a ton of prospects but no need to rush them. 2022 and 2023 the team is going to be stacked.
I remember this guy from him getting shellacked when he was mop up scrub for the Sox. Hope he enjoys his day.
Al is great. I think this is a great change of pace for the Tigers, at least, it is a different approach and at least he is doing something. Gotta do something, anything. See what happens.
Good job Al!
But I still don’t understand why he doesn’t trade all that he already has, for ONE TOP PROSPECT.
Then he could allow agents to send potential starters to basically what would become an open camp.
Take on salary to make it happen?
I really don’t think Wander Franco or Austin Martin are out of reach.
Good job, Al!
Can’t trade a mountain of garbage for a top prospect. You have to give talent to get talent.
I just looked at the MLB trade simulator and was able to send Tiger OFer Victor Reyes to the Padres for Hosmer, CJ Abrams and LHP Ryan Weathers.
The test for the young Illitch will be next year when the free agent class is loaded.
The time will be right if the wallet is open.
Top players will never sign with an AAAA team.
They will if you show them the money!
A whole lot more money than anyone else… then they will guarantee they will be the only good player on the team.
No one would do that.
The time is right when there is a good core of young, cost controlled players. Heading into this season, that’s not what they have.
They’ve missed on a few seemingly can’t-miss prospects, like Jake Rogers, Christin Stewart and Franklin Perez. This has put them behind. In fact, I don’t think but a couple of the position players they currently have will be on the roster long term.
In other words, the rebuild is happening slower than anticipated.
Hopefully, there will take a big step forward this season and that core of players will really take shape by the end of the season. But, I don’t see that happening.
So, free agent spending is a waste of money as it slows player development and screws you on prospect flow down the road.
If you’re gonna tank, ya gotta do it right!
Boo
Boo Hiss
Yup….Pudge wasn’t a great player at all when he signed with what was one of the worst teams in Tiger history. This “rebuild”
has to end somewhere.
That was over 15 years ago… Today it is much different.
Yes. That was different. They didn’t have a farm system flush with great prospects that needed playing time. They built that “dynasty” around Verlander and Granderson with expensive free agents.
And then, whatever prospects they did have were slowly shipped off by Trader Dave until they were all gone.
Yawn.
These signings may seem insignificant, but every one of these add ins helps keep players that they have a plan for on their scheduled plan. This may help hold a prospect in A or AA that may have been pushed too soon to AAA. These guys have value, even if they never make the big league
Three more years.
Does Chris Illich pay people to post it’s not time to spend money?????
Never heard anything so ridiculous in my life.
Development is an excuse too? Really? Are you that taken in? It’s called the minor leagues. You being told players need MLB playing time develop is BS. That’s not the way the system was designed. MLB is for MLB players…..
Paying free agents, to provide a valid product is ALWAYS ok.
Paying free agents with the intent of flipping them to provide a valid product in the future is always ok.
Paying free agents to provide leadership for young players is always ok.
NOT PAYING free agents because you have realized your customers are maniacal and you can get away with it is NEVER OK.
IT’S CALLED BAD FAITH.
You know, there is a whole.new generation of kids who don’t know the difference between real cheese and “cheese substitute”. The pizza business looks like it has a real good future……
IT’S CALLED INTEGRITY!
Remember, this was a complete teardown and rebuild. They were paying salaries on non-performing contracts, which included players still on the roster and those who were not. Further exacerbating the situation was the fact that the farm system was devoid of potential MLB talent. The only way to put a quality team on the field would be to completely build one via free agency, and that’s simply not a realistic option (especially when, as mentioned, you have those non-performing payroll obligations).
Moving forward, your goal is to grow your own players. But, there weren’t any players in the system. So, tanking was the only option to get those high draft picks and develop them into major leaguers. And, part of that development process is playing time. That’s why there are 5 tiers of professional baseball (from low-A to MLB). Think of when they had Victor in his final season, occupying the DH spot when they had players who could have benefited from those AB’s.
Now, you can say that we are 5 years in to this teardown and rebuild and its time to buy some free agents. But, as mentioned, to do so will not only take away playing time from the prospects, but it will also screw you down the road when your prospect pipeline is all dried up because you bought free agents who won you a 15 more games, but cost you prospects from the top of the draft who won’t be there in 3 or 4 years to plug the inevitable holes caused by outgoing free agents.
If this rebuild is done right and they don’t shoot themselves in the foot by buying free agents too early just to win 10 or 15 more games, we could be looking at a dynasty down the road.
I agree with what they are doing. As long as they are losing and playing the kids, they are doing the right thing. I hope they lose 100 games this year because they ain’t going to the playoffs!
I call BS. 100% BS.
I call BS. 100% BS.
1a) Tanking. You do realize other teams get first round draft picks too, right? It’s a flawed concept. So we tank for 25 years to have good 25 man roster? Your top pick may be slightly better, a stud like Tork, but that doesn’t mean he is the only good player in the draft. Your edge is only slight, after years of tanking.
1b) Meanwhile, you alienate the fans base, show them you are playing them for chumps. You are pocketing money that should be spent providing a quality product. Ripping off the fans who are subject to the whims of a monopoly.
The rest of my comments are awaiting moderation. Doubt they get posted.
2a) Free agent signings.
MLB at bats are for MLB players. Not development. That’s what the minor leagues are for. Get the concept?
I have very little respect for any management team that is going to try to fly that one by me. Let repeat = MLB at-bats are for MLB players. Not development. I believe that’s why the minor leagues were invented and is their current purpose.
2b) Great FAs are available. Made no effort what so ever to put a team together. Once again, cheating the fans of a decent product, basically saying, We’re not even going to try to complete because we’re a bunch of *******. We’re not going to win the WS so like little ******** babies they have an excuse to tank. It’s a total p****y move, dude. Rips the fans off.
2c) They have an idiot plan in their heads causing them to miss opportunities. This year, 40-60 M buys an AllStar infield, one all time great infield, no one picked up on it. Turner, Siemens, Wong, LeMaihue – and yes, management has to talk to the players, you have to convince them. It takes effort by the management team.
2d) We do realize we can trade these FAs for those top prospects we are tanking to get right? If you think about it, it just might work, much much quicker. But yes ,again, management has to make the effort….. You may have to package a few together, and yes, you have to spend money.
3a) You can also get those top prospects by taking on bad contract. Once again, you have to spend money and give up some good players. Kimberly Cubs, Kiermeier Rays, Chechek Tor, Blackmon Col. But management has to spend money and you have to have some balls other than the balls to cheat fans.
2a) Free agent signings.
MLB at bats are for MLB players. Not development. That’s what the minor leagues are for. Get the concept?
I have very little respect for any management team that is going to try to fly that one by me. Let repeat = MLB at-bats are for MLB players. Not development. I believe that’s why the minor leagues were invented and is their current purpose.
I REMEMBER THE DAYS WHEN EVERYONE IN MLB FROM THE OWNERS TO THE BROADCASTERS KNEW EVERY BOY IN AMERICA LOOKED TO THE MEN OF BASEBALL FOR THEIR HEROES.
THEY WOULD BE ASHAMED OF WHAT MLB TEACHING THE YOUTH OF TODAY.
Meanwhile, they drag a man across the coals for drinking or other personal business. TO RUIN OTHER MEN’S LIVE WITH SELF-RIGHTEOUS VINDICTIVENESS.
BUT THE BASE CONCEPT OF FAIR PLAY AND COMPETITION IS TOTALLY LOST.
OK to cheat, ok to cheat your customer, ok to not compete if.you don’t think you can will, WHY EVEN BOTHER TRYING.
THAT’S WHAT MLB IS TEACHING YOUTH TODAY.
AND I AM STRAIGHT OUT CALLING OUT AL AVILA AND CHRIS ILLICH ON THIS.
You need a snickers bar and a nap.
I was so wrapped up, I almost forgot to mention, I like Al and I like Chris.
Al did make some great pick-ups this year. Good job, Al!
As a guy with skinny legs, I know power comes from the thighs. Some balls are going out this year……
Ok. So I’m a dork who should probably just buy his own dmn baseball team…..