The Tigers announced that four of their players have cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Toledo. They are left-hander Zach Logue, right-hander Ángel De Jesus, catcher Mario Feliciano and infielder Andy Ibáñez. Logue and De Jesus were designated for assignment last month. The Tigers had not previously announced that either Feliciano or Ibanez had been placed on waivers. Detroit’s 40-man roster is now at 38 players.
Logue, 27 in April, looked like a potential back-of-the-rotation starter this time last season, when he was one of four players traded from Toronto to Oakland in the Matt Chapman deal. He made his big league debut with the A’s, starting ten games and adding another four appearances out of the bullpen. The former ninth-round pick got out to a nice start, pitching to a 2.04 ERA in his first 17 2/3 innings, but the wheels came off shortly thereafter.
The Mariners torched Logue for seven runs on May 23, and from that point through season’s end he yielded 39 runs in 39 1/3 big league innings. Things didn’t go any better during a disastrous Triple-A run that saw Logue record an ERA north of 8.00. Oakland designated Logue for assignment last month, and the Tigers picked him up via waiver claim. They can now keep him in the organization without dedicating a 40-man roster spot to him.
Grisly as those results are, Logue is a reasonably young lefty who sported a 3.32 ERA through 17 Triple-A starts as recently as 2021. He also has a pair of minor league options remaining, so if he pitches his way back into 40-man consideration, he’ll give the Tigers some rotation depth with a good bit of flexibility.
De Jesus, 25, also made his big league debut in 2022, tossing 12 2/3 innings out of the Detroit ’pen. He yielded only three runs on nine hits and four walks in that time, though De Jesus also fanned just seven hitters (13%) while benefiting from a .179 average on balls in play during that tiny sample. He spent the bulk of the 2022 season with Triple-A Toledo, where he notched a 4.15 ERA in 47 2/3 innings out of the bullpen. De Jesus has never ranked among the Tigers’ top prospects but does have a lengthy track record of solid results in the minors.
The 24-year-old Feliciano, like Logue, was claimed off waivers by the Tigers this season (although from the Brewers, not the A’s). He’s appeared in three big league games with Milwaukee and gone 1-for-4 in that time. Feliciano spent the vast majority of the 2022 season in Triple-A Nashville, batting .274/.326/.386 with six homers in 311 trips to the plate. Feliciano has plus bat-to-ball skills, evidence by a 16% strikeout rate in Triple-A, but he rarely walks and is regarded as a sub-par defender behind the plate.
Ibanez, 29, is yet another offseason waiver claim, coming over from the Rangers in early November. Once a prospect of some note when he originally left Cuba, Ibanez has spent parts of two seasons in the big leagues with Texas. He hit fairly well in 2021 (.277/.321/.435) but cratered with a .218/.273/.277 batting line in 128 plate appearances this past season. The dip in production carried over to Triple-A as well, but on the whole, the 29-year-old Ibanez has a solid .288/.358/.456 batting line in just shy of 1500 plate appearances at the minor leagues’ top level. He’s primarily a second baseman and third basemen but also has brief experience at first base, shortstop and in left field.
Happily surprised Angel didn’t get claimed!
Even Loogie has some promise, I’m surprised neither were claimed by an aspiring young team with available roster spots. Good for Detroit!
I thought Logue, Feliciano and Ibanez were all good depth acquisitions. The problem is pretty much all our acquisitions this off-season have been for depth. Hoping we trade for a 3B and OF.
Under the old system you could be buoyant from a team that won’t win much, a consolation prize, but no more. You have to win the lottery. They did good last year with it, but who knows about going forward. Can the young players step up ?
There is big money in the Majors, more so than ever before. I’m hoping the brothers Meadows will come up next year big. Detroit has so many needs if they can reduce it some in 23 it makes going forward easier.
Im shocked no one wants Feliciano as a 3rd C.
Maybe Harris is opening up these spots on the 40-man ahead of some “major” moves.. one can hope can’t he????
2 of Anderson, Rios, Pollack or Moustakas? Can only hope they sign a few bats
Shocked we DFA’d Feliciano. Now we have two catchers on the 40 man and one who missed most of 2021 due to TJ.
Don’t worry about Rogers. He was ready to come back late last year and wanted to. Tigers held him back and told him to just be ready for 2023. He’ll be fine.
Not shocked the Tigers minors system is stacked with players no team would want for nothing.
Maybe this is a kick in the butt to the players to try hard and get that 40-man spot back! Also opens the door for more moves!
More than 6 week to make trades & players will get DFA’d before the season starts.
By my count that leaves the 40 man roster at 38. Just cleaning house or preparing for some moves?
Ibanez could sneak his way on the roster as a 3B or Utility Infielder. He can’t possibly be any worse than Candelario was for them
Do you mean Candelario, who had a bad season last year, or the Candelario who was Tiger of the year in both ’21 &’20? Arguing over $1MM is the most glaring decision by Harris so far. Its left the team without depth at 3B. Any addition better have a higher ceiling than letting Kreidler play. Plugging in a place holder and hoping for average production is not better than allowing Kreidler to develop.
Tigers need to find a couple of hitters soon.
Hopefully pitching for bats
Times getting short
So is Harris building a team for Toledo or Detroit?
asking for a friend.
The tigers now regret to let candy go for 6 million !! Now they don’t know what to do
Most likely, they don’t regret it at all. It was the right thing to do. Admittedly, they still need to find a replacement.
Tigers make an offer to Correa to play 3rd.
5 Years @ $35M Guaranteed “PLUS”
3 Year vesting options @ $35M for Plate Appearances per year “PLUS”
2 Year vesting options @ $25M for Plate Appearances per year
No Optouts!!!!!
Total Potential Earnings 10 Years $330,000,000 through his age 38 season. ($175,000,000 Guaranteed)
To be a little more realistic, I think the moves will be more like Andrew McCutchen signed to play Right Field & Evan Longoria at Third & Maybe even Mike Moustakas to share time at second & third.
2023 season Team finished & time to evaluate the rest of the Young Prospects.
Longoria already signed, and you can stick a fork in Moose. McCutchen could possibly platoon in LF.
I noticed my mistake on Longoria & came here to correct it. I meant La Stella, just switch names.
Last year McCutchen played Centerfield, him & Greene could cover Right-center quite well together. As for just platooning him, he played 134 Games last year with 580 Plate Appearances.
His splits are good enough to play daily.
Vs. Right hand pitching- PA-415, HR-10, BA-.243, OBP-.321, SLG-.365
Vs. Left handed pitching- PA-165, HR-7, BA-.221, OBP-.303, SLG-.435
Andrew would play well on a daily basis in Rightfield for Detroit for a year or two, just like Torri Hunted did.
I still like the idea of trading off someone like Eduardo Rodriguez and some of their relievers to a team rich in prospects who are close to the show and need pitching to complete their puzzle. St Louis, Baltimore, Arizona, Toronto…dare I say Tampa Bay ;).
Pittsburgh…………Bryan Reynolds
Trade E-Rod, let Baez opt out next year.
Cabrera gone! LOTS of money to spend.
I’ll keep saying this until Adams/MLBTR writers learn, it’s not “grisly as those results are,” it’s “AS Grisly as those results are,” for pete’s sake.
For Pete’s sake, you should be capitalizing proper names! smh