The Tigers have signed infielder/outfielder Ryan Vilade to a minor league contract, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He will receive an invitation to major league Spring Training, per Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press.
Vilade, 25 in February, spent 2023 with the Pirates mostly in a non-roster capacity. He was claimed off waivers from the Rockies in the offseason but was designated for assignment on Opening Day, passing through waivers and sticking with the Bucs at Triple-A. He played 122 games at that level, striking out in 24.9% of his plate appearances but also walking at a 12.5% clip. He only hit six home runs on the year, leading to a batting line of .270/.370/.382 and wRC+ of 96.
He brings plenty of defensive versatility to the table, as he spent some time at first base, third base and all three outfield positions this year. He’s played some shortstop in the past, though not since 2019. He was limited to seven stolen bases in 2023, but he was in double digits in each previous year in which minor league games were played going back to 2018. He has three games of MLB experience, which came with the Rockies in 2021.
The Tigers already have plenty of outfielders, with Parker Meadows, Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter, Mark Canha and Akil Baddoo looking to split the playing time on the grass and perhaps in the designated hitter spot. Spencer Torkelson seems entrenched at first base but the hot corner is a bit more open. Matt Vierling is likely the favorite at that spot for now, though he hasn’t really done anything to lock the job down as he was around league average offensively and defensively in 2023. Andy Ibañez, Tyler Nevin, Nick Maton and Andre Lipcius are also on the roster and in the mix. Prospect Colt Keith could be the third baseman of the future but he’s also been getting some second base work lately. Justyn-Henry Malloy is also an attractive third base prospect, though he plays the outfield corners as well.
Vilade will give the club a bit more depth at that spot in a non-roster capacity, with the ability to pivot to other spots if injuries open up holes elsewhere. He is still quite young, has a couple of options and less than a year of service time, meaning he could be a long-term depth option for the club if he earns his way onto the roster.
Not what we meant by sign a third baseman Scott!!!!
He’ll get a chance at Toledo, depending on who makes the team. As for Malloy, I believe they meant to say he plays the OF corners badly, as well. He’s strictly a DH, which is why Atlanta was willing to trade him to HARRIS. He’s definitely not in the mix for 3B.
The Guardians were runners- up
Organizational depth
Killjoy. We wanted to run around with our hair on fire, screaming that this guy is our big offensive addition of the offseason!
You can still join the perpetual joy club and get to glad handing, back slapping, well wishing, and story telling every time the Tigers make any kind of move. You just have to have a low threshold for excitement and optimism.
Looks like an impostor.
I think the guy in the pic is my coworker in the third cubicle who eats that smelly Chipotle meal every day.
Vilade, oh oh oh, Vilarde oh oh oh. Utility on parade. Seems like utility guys may be traded this year.
When he was with the Rockies organization I kept having to remind myself that he was not Pat Valaika.
Yawn.
If they don’t have to be on the the 25, the 40….why use the place of a tradable asset.
All pitchers or position players who have options should.have a tradable vet above him on the 25…….
In other words, cut the crap. Depth is sitting on the 40.
We could sign and trade several more pitchers and position players but.the roster is bloated from FO guys refusing to make the decisions necessary to make room available to actually FUNCTION correctly.
By the time a guy has to be put on the 40 he should have already been evaluated and his future mapped.
I don’t think ANY of the Ivy League guys actually know what they are doing. They ALL just cookie cutter and do the same things over and over, hoping they get lucky, pretending they look smarter than the next guy.
They learned that at the U. Take advantage of every opportunity to promote yourself.
NONE OF THEM KNOW WHAT TO DO. That’s why so many team are totally disappointing their fans.
Colt Keith is going to come to camp to compete for the second base job. Long term they are hoping Jace Jung can make the transition. JHM is an OF/DH and not a realistic option at third. Vilade is just a depth move, he isn’t taking a spot on the 40-man roster and essentially costs the Tigers nothing but a few dollars to see if they can get more out of him than the Pirates (not holding my breath). He looks the part of a light hitting glove first player, its useful to have them at AAA if there are short term injuries that need to be filled in for. Lots of teams make these types of deals.