The Tigers have agreed to a contract with free-agent right-hander Julio Teheran, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network. It’s a non-guaranteed deal, though Teheran will earn a $3MM base salary if he makes the Tigers’ roster. He could rake in another $1MM in incentives if he starts 20 games for the team.
The 30-year-old Teheran signed a $9MM guarantee with the Angels last winter, but the union proved to be disastrous for both sides. Teheran threw 31 1/3 innings with the Halos and ranked last among all pitchers who totaled at least 30 frames in ERA (10.05). He was also second from the bottom in K-BB percentage (2.7). Teheran did post a far better SIERA (5.59) than ERA, but that also checked in toward the bottom of the league. Likewise, Teheran’s career-worst 89.0 mph fastball velocity – down from his lifetime 90.7 – wound up in the basement of the majors.
Before he signed with the Angels, Teheran put together a solid run as a Brave from 2011-19. He looked like a potential front-end starter with the club early on before settling in as a mid-rotation type, and he soaked up plenty of innings for the club. In a stretch from 2013-19, Teheran threw no fewer than 174 2/3 innings in any individual season, and he combined for a 3.64 ERA/4.26 SIERA during that span.
Teheran could now get a shot to rebound in Detroit, which is known to have been looking for another veteran starter leading up to the season. They’ve shown interest in one of their former hurlers, free agent Rick Porcello, but the Teheran addition will “likely” rule out a reunion, Jason Beck of MLB.com tweets. That could leave Teheran to join Matthew Boyd, Spencer Turnbull, Michael Fulmer and Jose Urena in the Tigers’ season-opening starting staff, though prospects such as Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal and Matt Manning could also factor in this year.
Welp… sorry Rick.
My thoughts exactly.
He will always be remembered as the Braves “ace” during the rebuilding years
Or the 9mm he got off the Angels lol what the hell is with that team ?
They literally can’t even buy pitching.
they keep going for big rebound pitches every year and literally none of them have
yeah, i mean,could anyone have predicted Teheran to be that bad?
Mike Fiers for 1/2 season and Matt Moore for 1-1/2 game. That’s about it. Julion Teheran is a good signing for 1/2 season until he’s traded.
The real question is who will DET cut?
Bundy finally put it together with LAA.
He’s a non-guarantee invite, so no one until he makes the team. But I wouldn’t be one bit surprised if they cut Christin Stewart if he has a bad ST. Nice guy, but his horrible defense and lack of hitting isn’t helping his case.
At this point, they don’t have to cut anyone else. Both Wentz and Faedo will go on the 60 day IL as both are recovering from TJS. That would free up a spot for Teheran and Nunez if both make the team. Only if one of the other MiLB signings makes the big club will anyone else need to be cut.
violentdreams11
This is a new season Take down your old calendar we’re in 2021 now You’re living in the past
Sounds like you don’t have nothing going for yourself
Geno FA that’s what ur name should be scumbag
Last year he got a late start due to COVID-19 and was never really able to get on track… or maybe he just completely lost it.
It’s a good gamble for the Tigers, Teheran could be a good 4th-5th starter.
Their pitching coach is too busy sending out dick picks.
That’s pretty sad for the Braves if this was their ace.
Look at his numbers during his Braves tenure. He was good and sometimes pitched some really great games. He rarely missed a start and would consistently pitch 200+ innings. There’s no shame in what he did as a Brave.
Nope, he was fine. But the way braves fans on here over rated him and dreamed of crazy prospect packages in return for him was nuts.
He’s a solid #3 but he’s not an ace. Not even close. Rebuilding or not, an ace is an ace.
Olay, maybe a season or two he was great, but nothing consistent. Career FIP over 4. Saying he’s an ace is like saying Rick Porcello was an ace in his Cy Young year. One or two years doesn’t make him an ace overall.
What other kind of pitching do rebuilding teams have? Go look at the Orioles and Pirates and you will see pitchers who have had worse careers than Teheran.
I remember the rumors of the Orioles trading Adam Jones for him. Thankfully that didn’t happen for the O’s sake
Woulda rather had Porcello if I’m being honest
Uh, … no thanks.
Porcello is trash. Stole a Cy Young from Verlander.
porcello next ?
I don’t think so.
they could easily take both on
They could, but that would make it 14 pitcher that can start. I’d rather see them bring in a bat or two now.
Jesus Aguilar is still out there isn’t or is he back with the Marlins ?
He’s a Marlin.
Yeah Marlins never got rid of Aguilar
Uh, ….
Pirates wanted Porcello for 15 years, maybe they sign him now with nothing left in the tank.
Not a terrible move.
I like this…..he is still reasonably young, so I hope he still has something left….he could be worth something come the trade deadline.
A good signing with not much downside. The only caveat is that he held a throwing session for a bunch of teams and ended up with this deal. But that session was weeks ago, making this gamble worth it.
Given the tigers prospects, I’d say any single year deal is no downside
Trade deadline is probably what they’re shooting for. Paying about 2 mill could net them an experienced mid grade prospect if Tehran ends up having a rebound year.
Hopefully an innings eater along with Urias, Boyd, and Turnbull while the younger guys develop and Fulmer does as he is able.
Urias plays for the dodgers and is only 24
I believe he meant Urena
Big ‘AL’ trying to be smarter then every other GM…spend the extra million and sign Porcello….Brutal!!! Norris would put up the same or better numbers then Julio….should have signed Poecello…could have groomed the young stud pitchers and huge upside….Big ‘Al’ saved another buck
If Teheran doesn’t make the team out of spring training, it doesn’t cost them anything. And this isn’t even preventing them from signing Porcello
Would Porcello really be any better?
Not sold on that.
No, he would be worse.
Anyone else surprised he got so much less than Walker got this morning?
not really. Walker is a better pitcher and Teheran was awful last year.
He’s always pitched better than his peripherals. I expected an ERA around 4.5 and the ability to make his starts. He was awful.
I’m pretty much expecting that from Quintana this year.
I wonder if COVID and missing preseason starts had anything to do with his awful season.
Very well could have. Last year was tough in so many ways and missing a big chunk of the beginning due to COVID probably did have something to do with it. And no place to go last year to rehab before pitching either.
I put no stock in 2020 stats. To me they’re just a 60 game sample size and all awards presented, including the Dodgers WS championship are with an asterisk. The season resembled a beer league more than a major league season due to the insertion of all the wacky rules. The key point you’re dead on with is in players like Teheran and the Tigers own Michael Fulmer, there was no true place to rehab. Also the sudden cancellation of spring training, followed by a very short time to get amped back up had a bad effect on players, pitchers and positional alike. If I had my choice, the 2020 season would’ve never happened. I pretty much judge new acquisitions on what they did in 2019. I’m fine on signing Teheran to a minor league contract with a NRI but kinda wish they’d continued the pursuit of Porcello.
Hopefully he can turn his career around
I always been a fan
Teheran and Urena can battle for “who’s worse” in the back of the Tigers rotation
Exactly! The guy throws his FB at LESS THAN 90 MPH! He’s gonna get smashed!
Good pick up. The rumors were that the Tigers and Porcello could not come to terms. Teheran was good until last year but last year was horrible. So bad he had to have a showcase this winter. Good place for him to rebound.
Teheran was not good until last yr. He has sucked for a while now.
You’re entire statement does not make sense…please reread and correct…?!? (was not good until last year…and then to state”he has sucked for a while now”) WTF dude the whole thing screams with ineptitude!
Or you could read what he wrote in context with what he was replying to. Teheran was not “good until last yr”. He has sucked for a while now.
That said Tehran has been mediocre at best from 2017 on.
Actually I’m digging this for the tigers, I’m a huge braves fan, but tigers were a close second in my childhood. He was always expected to be the ace in Atlanta, unfortunately he was not. I hope he gets a fresh start and mentors some of the young tigers pitchers. Good pick up.
Actually I’m digging this for the tigers, I’m a huge braves fan, but tigers were a close second in my childhood. He was always expected to be the ace in Atlanta, unfortunately he was not. I hope he gets a fresh start and mentors some of the young tigers pitchers. Good pick up.
I know Detroit fans would prefer a bigger name, but the odds are that this will be a good signing.
First of all, its not guaranteed…meaning no risk.
Second, if he performs anywhere close to his career numbers, he is a steal, even at $4 mil.
Until last years anomaly of a season, Teheran was remarkably consistent for seven seasons. He has been average to above average every year. His FIP has remained stable. He eats innings every year and never misses a start.
He has been the epitome of a mid rotation starter.
His velocity has gradually gone down, but whose doesn’t over time?
If he returns anything close to normal, he will make a Detroit rotation much better.
Last yr was no anomaly. He sucks and has for a few seasons now.
He isn’t a great pitcher that’s for sure but he won’t suck as bad as last year (I don’t think lol.)
What is the upside here? Why in the hell would you pay that much for literally the worst pitcher in MLB? Either there’s some real early issues in our rotation that we’re not being told of, or this is just another dumb signing by the king of head scratching signings, Mr. Al Avila himself! Wow…
They aren’t paying him anything, it says it’s a non-guaranteed deal. If he makes the team out of spring training, then paying him $3MM is nothing. Not a dumb signing at all, every team makes moves like this. The upside is that he rebounds to an ERA south of 4 and you could either trade him or use him as a building block
You’re dumb…non-Guaranteed…?!?
I want to ask this to more team’s fans, but here’s your round of questions Detroit:
1. Which sector of your team is the strongest currently: the lineup, the rotation, or the bullpen?
2. Who are some key players to watch come the next contending team in Detroit?
3. When do you think the Tigers will be contenders again?
4. Who are some future free agent/trade acquisitions that you could envision the team making?
5. How many games do the 2021 Tigers win and where do they pick in the 2022 draft?
Not a Tigers fan, I just follow every team in general. But:
1. Strength is probably the rotation with Boyd/Turnbull and Mize/Skubal probably up by July. I kinda wish they went out and added a veteran reliever tho
2. Key players to watch on the roster currently are Willi Castro, Candelario, Mize, and Skubal – who should all be there when they’re ready to contend. I also think Victor Reyes and Bryan Garcia have a fair bit of potential
3. Contention should be by 2022/23, although I’ll admit this has been one of the slowest rebuilds since Houston/Chicago started the complete tear-down trend
4. Come deadline time, I fully expect Ramos, Urena, Schoop, and Mazara be on the move. Mazara and Urena need to rebound first, but all four are impending free agents. Boyd, Fulmer, Farmer could be moved too. I could see them splurging a bit next winter and going for Baez/Seager/Correa and maybe Conforto as the only big outfielders in the organization are Riley Greene, Parker Meadows, and Daz Cameron. Pitching side I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility to add Gray/Castillo via trade by packaging some of their young pitchers, or sign somebody like McCullers/Syndergaard/Stroman/ERod.
5. I’d say 75 wins max (tad generous) with another top five pick. Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Colorado, and maybe the Mariners finish with worse records – although I think Seattle is a tad bit better currently. Arizona and Texas could also be contenders for bottom five
Nice analysis. Re bottom five, I’d replace Seattle with Texas due to the M’s having a better rotation and edge in MLB-ready youngsters. Arizona at #6 due to those 38 games versus the Dodgers and Padres. That’s a quarter season worth of getting trounced by two teams.
Well my bold prediction of the season is that the M’s will be better than the Angels. I stand by that, and I don’t see either of those teams picking in the top 5. Rangers will be bad, but still towards the back of the top 5 picks. Around 70 wins. Colorado, Baltimore, Detroit, and Pitt will all pick ahead of us. If I had to guess right now, I’d say this:
Pittsburgh
Baltimore
Detroit
Colorado
Texas
Colorado and Texas could flip between 4 and 5, but that is roughly what I think it will finish as.
I actually kinda like what Texas did this winter. Bringing in Chris Young was a fantastic hire, and starting to de-clog the club a bit was a good move. Dealing Andrus sucked but I think Solak deserves a full-time shot and the long-term finances were key there. Beating out the other teams for Dahl’s services was awesome. I like the semi-rebuilt rotation too: taking a chance on Arihara doesn’t hurt at all, I love them getting Dunning in the Lynn trade, and signing Folty was an underrated move imo. And then picking up Patton/Ramos/Anderson/Wood on MiLB deals could be really beneficial too with the number of inexperienced arms in the bullpen currently. They’ll be bad but I think finally seeing change will make them fun to watch
1) strength is relative but going to say the rotation. Boyd, Turnbull, Urena, Teheran and likely Fulmer.
2) Most of the key pieces of the next contending Tiger team are not going to be playing for the Tigers this year, at least to start. On this current team, would look to Jake Rogers and Willi Castro as the only potential key pieces. Mize, Manning, and Skubal will be a three headed monster as a rotation but they likely don’t start with the big club this spring, but later in the season. On the position side, Parades is another likely key piece but he also likely starts in Toledo. Torkelson and Greene also will be key pieces but they likely do not see Detroit this year.
3) Tigers don’t likely contend until 2024 at the earliest.
4) As much as people want them to splurge on the FA market I don’t see them doing so until after 2022 season. A huge SS class after 2021 could have them signing someone like Carlos Correa but with the uncertainties of this year and the CBA, they likely hold of any spending until the following season. They will dump any player on the current roster that could bring back something decent this year. But that has been the problem, they lack any guy that can net a decent return. Even their FA signings this year likely are not going to net them much, but they will be traded if Avila can get anything in return for them.
5) They are probably a mid 60’s win team and the 3rd pick this year. An outside shot at 70 wins if all goes well then they likely pick in the 5-8 range.
1.
Like last year, I expect the bullpen to be the best Tigers unit, since I see Norris and Alexander to be used primarily as relievers. The relievers could very well have numbers around league-average, which is very unlikely for the rotation and lineup.
2.
Everybody expects Mize,Skubal and Manning to be built into the rotation for good this year. Among the hitters, watch out for Candelario (3B/1B?), W. Castro (can he play SS?) and Paredes (can he play 2B?). I have less hope in C Rogers; OF Cameron seems to be a better bet to me.
3.
If most of the above-mentioned players establish themselves, the Tigers might start to contend for a WC spot next year. 1B/3B Torkelson and OF Greene are two highly praised prospects, who will likely play themselves into the MLB roster in 2022.
4.
The Tigers will likely need a good SS and CF. It seems easier to get the SS as a FA (i.e. Correa has connections to Hinch) than a good CF. Detroit definitely must spend big next year, if their rebuild is meant to be seriously. There are no players on the current roster who will likely bring bona-fide prospects in a trade.
5.
There might be some improvement towards 70 wins. I would not be surprised if they pick among the top 5 again. Not finishing in the bottom third would really spark some expectations.
Gruß,
BSHH
Strength? Top prospect depth, especially in the rotation. Key players? Spencer Torkelson, and the 3 major rookie pitchers. When do I think they’ll contend again? As soon as 2022. They have some arms near and some offensive fast movers like Torkelson, and maybe catcher, Dillon Dingler, who somehow had Trout measurement speed…odd.
Future trade targets and acquisitions? Hard to name names. I think they’ll go after a big arm and probably one of the big SS free agents next offseason. They have plenty of money.
How many games do they win in 2021? There’s way too many what ifs to call this a winner, but they might be a fun team to watch in the second half. I think we’ll see Torkelson possibly. He could be an immediate middle of the order bat. Weak division….they could be a surprise and aim at .500 down the stretch.. No idea here they pick. That’s contingent on other teams.
1) If Mike Rabelo still manages then the Erie Sea Wolves are the strongest part of the Tiger franchise.
2) Grayson Greiner
3) When the 2029 wild card expands to 28 teams
4) Some blind old lady selling artificial poppies on the street corner.
5) 65 – 3 DET is in a worse division than PIT and TEX.
Happy with this. Was one of the most underrated starters for a long time with the Braves. Hopefully he can get back to that level of production.
I like this. Maybe a little strange that Urena’s $3MM is guaranteed and Teheran’s isn’t though. They both threw poorly last season but Urena is coming off two poor seasons.
Teheran’s season was wrecked by him contracting Covid-19 prior to the resumption of training camp. He started terribly and didn’t get a chance to turn things around. The season wasn’t long enough for that.
Yeah, small sample sizes for both in 2020. Teheran = 30 IP, Urena = 23 IP.
No, no, no. He is not an innings eater. He is someone that’ll have 100 pitches in 4&1/3 innings with five K’s and 5 walks. Mike Pelfrey 2.0. Just as bad of signing as Urena. Avila cannot judge free agent pitchers. Just awful. They are going nowhere this year anyhow Brit at least put some semblance of an exciting product on the field. Wake me in 2022.
Just $1M for an experienced, still=young MLBN starter is a good deal. Don’t sleep through the rebuild. There is always something or someone worth watching.
Mike Pelfrey was never as good as Tehran once was. I don’t expect much, but it is depth. Still, he’s another pitcher without a fastball, exactly the type Dombrowski avoided. Obviously, Avila hasn’t had the last say when it comes to drafting, as Mize, Manning, Skubal all throw hard. What made Moyer, Buehlre, Kaat and Tanana fun to watch is that they were a rarity, a soft tosser who could artfully pitch. They were never common. Most soft tossers don’t last. Avila doesn’t seem to have figured that out yet.
Let batting practice begin!
Al is great, one of the best in the business but I don’t understand why he doesn’t insist on getting team options for these one year contracts. It increases trade value for the contract.
Every agent has guys who are available to “eat innings”…..we want current value we can trade for future value. Half a year rentals won’t bring back much, contracts with low cost team options will if you can combine players into a package deal. Al know this. It’s not rocket science…… IT’S BASEBALL.
But why?
Wow. All I can say is with all this horse kaka around there must be a pony nearby.
Maybe Porcello can sign with SF..
That’s a lot of comments for a Tigers topic.
“Lloyd: Excuse me, little old lady. Do you have change for a dollar?
Elderly woman: Change? No I’m sorry, I don’t.
Lloyd: Well, can you do me a favor and watch my stuff here while I go break a dollar?
Elderly woman: Of course.
Lloyd: Thanks. Hey, I guess they’re right. Senior citizens, although slow and dangerous behind the wheel, can still serve a purpose. I’ll be right back. Don’t you go dying on me!”
JT is easy to root for. Gives up lots of fly balls but that may play well in Detroit. 5 innings 2 or 3 runs is super normal and every now and then he houdinis to a complete game.
No way 89 is at the bottom of the league. When Kyle Hendricks hits 89 it’s an exception. His FB must average 87.
Rangers29: thanks for the good discussion questions.
I thought Tigers would start to be competitive by now but looks like at least another year. Sigh
I think this is a more than solid move by the Tigers. He will chew up some innings and be a candidate to get flipped at the trade deadline. Rick Porcello? Is Rickey P. capable of an e.r.a. Under 6.00?
Another year before Detroit is competitive? Try 3.
The Great Rebuild has so far consisted solely of son spending as little as mom allows, or vice versa, or in league with one another. Trying stopped with dad.
The best if not only on-field product is Victor Reyes, who isn’t a starter on many teams.
They need to hit on nearly all of their recent high picks, and that usually doesn’t happen. Behind them is little. Jury out on Candelaria etc. and a long wait is still coming.
Relax Francis.
Spending money now would be hindering and a waste later. The old man gave away the farm to give Leyland the most talent the tigers have seen in a generation and Leyland wasted it.
Al has ditched the over burden of contracts and has slowly built a quality farm that is needed to sustain a successful ball club.
I expect them to spend but i don’t expect them to throw money away like Mr.I did before he died.
I have a bridge for sale.
Do you honestly think this billionaire, not even bothering to put a quality product on the field is anything other than taking advantage of the fact he is PARTICIPATING IN A MONOPOLY?
PURE BAD FAITH, RIPPING OFF TIGER FANS!