The Tigers signed catcher Tomas Nido to a minor league deal, per the team’s transaction log at MLB.com. Nido was announced in the lineup for the Triple-A Toledo MudHens today, so the signing is clearly already official. Nido, an ACES client, was with the Cubs and Mets earlier this season but was cut loose by Chicago at the end of August. Since he’s signed well into September, he won’t be eligible for postseason play in the event that the surging Tigers qualify, but he’ll give them some glove-first depth behind the plate in the season’s final couple weeks.
Nido, 30, has appeared in 49 games between the Mets and Cubs this season but struggled to a .192/.219/.315 batting line in 140 trips to the plate. As usual, he’s drawn strong grades for his defense at catcher. Nido’s 23% caught-stealing rate is better than league-average (21%), and he grades well in terms of blocking pitches in the dirt. However, this is his second straight season with a sub-.200 batting average and an OBP south of .220.
While Nido’s bat has cratered the past two seasons, he’s still not far removed from being a highly serviceable backup with the Mets. From 2020-22, he hit .236/.275/.338 in exactly 500 plate appearances and did so while grading out as one of the premier defensive backstops in the game. His offense during that time was about 28% worse than that of a league-average hitter, by measure of wRC+, but catchers are generally lighter hitters than the standard big leaguer. The average catcher tends to be around 10% to 12% worse than par with the bat, so Nido’s shortcomings at the plate during that three-year run weren’t as glaring as they’d have been at another position — particularly when coupled with his defensive contributions.
The Tigers traded Carson Kelly to the Rangers prior to the deadline and haven’t gotten any real offensive production out of Jake Rogers and rookie Dillon Dingler behind the dish. That said, Rogers himself is an elite defender at his position and has at least managed to pop 10 homers and 15 doubles on the season. Nido could get a look if either player requires a late trip to the injured list, but he’ll otherwise likely become a minor league free agent at season’s end.
Rogers took a foul tip off his hand, last night I think. Probably just some insurance. Dingler looks good defensively but isn’t hitting at all.
Catching hitting production, the holy grail ? It’s nice having Alex Avila in the Tigers booth on occasion now. I felt he was out of place on M.L.B Tonight. His O.B.P of usually .348 might be as good ass it gets after all.
The Tiger search for a Bill Freehan or a big wheel, may be a eternal thing in the city. With the Tigers winning, and with Dingler handling the young pitchers well, it may not be that big of a concern.
After losing C-MO, who seemed to live up to his name, Avila is as good addition as anyone for a bigger presence in the talking zone with Jason.
Next years fix it project Nido ?
I like AA in the booth 1000X better than C-Mo, who drove me nuts. Losing him has been a big improvement.
I like Jake & DD behind the plate. You can’t expect much offense at C these days, so might as well have good defenders.
I was hoping Freehan would be voted into the HOF before he died. Still hoping Lou gets in.
I agree.
When you look at the majority of teams situation in the catching department, the Tigers could be better offensively, but are absolutely solid defensively. No complaints.