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Tigers Designate Akil Baddoo For Assignment

By Nick Deeds | December 10, 2024 at 6:04pm CDT

The Tigers formally announced their previously reported signing of right-hander Alex Cobb this evening. In a corresponding move, outfielder Akil Baddoo was designated for assignment as noted by MLive’s Evan Woodbery.

Baddoo, 26, was a second-round pick by the Twins back in 2016. The outfielder’s major league career wouldn’t begin until 2021, after he was selected by the Tigers in the 2020 Rule 5 Draft. That first taste of big league action went remarkably well for the youngster, as he slashed an impressive .259/.330/.436 with a 108 wRC+ in 124 games for Detroit while splitting time between left field and center. Baddoo’s 26.5% strikeout rate was somewhat elevated, but he made up for it by walking at a healthy 9.8% clip and clubbing 13 homers, seven triples, and 20 doubles while swiping 18 bases during his rookie season.

That combination of power and speed was tantalizing enough that the Tigers stuck with Baddoo on a part-time basis despite lackluster numbers at the plate. Between the 2022 and ’23 season, he hit just .212/.302/.331 (80 wRC+) in 582 combined trips to the plate. While he went a decent 23-for-32 on the bases in those years, his power evaporated as he posted a combined isolated slugging percentage of just .119, down from the solid .177 figure of his rookie campaign. That downturn in performance in conjunction with the emergence of exciting outfield options like Riley Greene and Kerry Carpenter from the Detroit farm system left Baddoo with fewer and fewer big league opportunities as his time in the organization continued.

That dwindling playing time in Detroit came to a head in 2024, as after a winter that saw the Tigers add Mark Canha to the lineup and a phenomenal Spring Training performance from Wenceel Perez, Baddoo found himself as the odd man out on Opening Day. Baddoo was optioned to the minors and ended up spending the overwhelming majority of his 2024 campaign at Triple-A. He made just 82 trips to the plate in the big leagues this past year and struggled badly in that limited time with a .137/.220/.301 slash line and a 32.9% strikeout rate. The Tigers kept him on the roster through last month’s non-tender deadline despite Baddoo being projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz for a $1.6MM salary in his second trip through arbitration, but he’s now lost his 40-man roster spot with the club nonetheless.

Looking ahead, any club in the league will now have the opportunity to claim Baddoo off waivers if the Tigers don’t work out a trade for him within the next few days. The 26-year-old’s combination of youth and past big league success could make him an intriguing option for outfield-needy clubs, although his recent struggles and arbitration-level price tag could turn some potential suitors away.

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Detroit Tigers Transactions Akil Baddoo Alex Cobb

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View Comments (54)
Post a Comment

54 Comments

  1. sad tormented neglected mariners fan

    10 months ago

    God he deserved to be dfa’d centuries ago

    13
    Reply
    • User 42432876

      10 months ago

      What did he Baddoo to deserve this?

      26
      Reply
      • TheProjectedMan

        10 months ago

        I only wish I could give more than one thumbs up.

        8
        Reply
        • User 42432876

          10 months ago

          That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me on this board thanks man lol

          3
          Reply
      • 84LeFlore

        10 months ago

        You must be a dad! (cracking up)

        1
        Reply
    • solaris602

      10 months ago

      Long overdue. Baddoo hasn’t done anything since 2022. He’s lucky he survived the entirety of 2024.

      2
      Reply
  2. For Love of the Game

    10 months ago

    Signing Cobb for $15 mill. was a surprise; no, a shock! Designation Baddoo was neither.

    2
    Reply
  3. Tomas80

    10 months ago

    Best of luck, Akil.

    3
    Reply
  4. wileycoyote56

    10 months ago

    I hope Baddo lands somewhere that will give him a chance to play full time. He’s teased us in Detroit over the years but hasn’t quite figured it out. Here’s hoping he makes it big somewhere

    8
    Reply
    • User 42432876

      10 months ago

      If I’m not mistaken his first landing spot will be in AAA with Detroit

      5
      Reply
      • Kevin Sutton

        10 months ago

        He has to pass through waivers first. Somebody will grab him

        2
        Reply
        • realsox

          10 months ago

          The White Sox are stockpiling outfielders cut by other teams. Welcome to Chicago.

          1
          Reply
        • 2dmo4

          10 months ago

          Doubt it

          2
          Reply
      • tigerdoc616

        10 months ago

        IF he passes through waivers. You are correct in that he has never been DFA’d before so he has to accept assignment to AAA by the Tigers if he clears waivers.

        3
        Reply
  5. b00giem@n

    10 months ago

    This has Cincinnati all over it..

    1
    Reply
    • This one belongs to the Reds

      10 months ago

      Definitely a dumpster dive special.

      Reply
      • b00giem@n

        10 months ago

        Exactly, with the appropriate amount of bounce back upside to trade for low level prospects mid season.

        Reply
  6. O'sSayCanYouSee

    10 months ago

    Hot Orioles pick up…and then pass through waivers later…to be picked up by another team…and passed through waivers…to be…

    2
    Reply
  7. cooperhill

    10 months ago

    Perfect name, he is Bad, and not in a good way!

    1
    Reply
    • rsailler

      10 months ago

      Sometimes bad is bad.

      Reply
  8. Tigersin2050

    10 months ago

    He’s not even a great depth option. If you pull him up to replace someone on the IL, chances are he will collide into your center fielder and put him on the IL, too.

    4
    Reply
  9. nowheredan

    10 months ago

    Yabbada Baddoo

    5
    Reply
  10. tigerdoc616

    10 months ago

    Not unexpected. There will be others that get similar treatment when the Tigers sign their next free agent.

    2
    Reply
  11. Tom the ray fan

    10 months ago

    Angels will take a shot I’m guessing

    Reply
  12. 84LeFlore

    10 months ago

    Akil was a lottery ticket that didn’t pay off. Too bad you can’t steal first base.

    Reply
  13. General Smokey Clay

    10 months ago

    Oakland?

    2
    Reply
    • LeylandsLung

      10 months ago

      There’s no team in Oakland so that’s a good spot for him.

      7
      Reply
      • unpaidobserver

        10 months ago

        Got an image of him with a bag reporting to the Coliseum trying to figure out why the gates are locked and all the signage is down.

        1
        Reply
  14. tikiagedola

    10 months ago

    So Mccinstry gets another chance but not Baddoo. Baddoo has actually had a good year unlike Mccinstry. Wonder if it was something else besides their play that made the decision.hmm

    1
    Reply
    • kellin

      10 months ago

      137 BA, -.5 WAR and 47 OPS is a good year?

      4
      Reply
      • ThonolansGhost

        10 months ago

        Kellin, I think he meant that Baddoo has one good year (2021) in his career, unlike McKinstry.

        Reply
    • LeylandsLung

      10 months ago

      I guess you don’t watch the Tigers play.

      1
      Reply
      • cooperhill

        10 months ago

        “Jimmy smokes!”

        1
        Reply
        • LeylandsLung

          10 months ago

          Smoke em if ya got em

          Reply
  15. Motor City Beach Bum

    10 months ago

    Too bad. there was a time when I thought he could be the next Randy Arozarena. Two poor years in a row though and he wrote himself out of the Tigers plans. I hope he figures things out.

    1
    Reply
  16. jammin464_

    10 months ago

    Too bad. He showed such promise in ’21….I’m guessing ML pitchers made an adjustment to him and he couldn’t adjust back??

    1
    Reply
  17. Karensjer

    10 months ago

    Welcome to the Rays new centerfielder.

    Reply
    • ThonolansGhost

      10 months ago

      The Rays might be able to fix whatever’s wrong with him.

      1
      Reply
      • Karensjer

        10 months ago

        The Rays are finished. They’ve got so attached to analytics that they don’t care if a guy hits .150 as long as he can catch a ball and hit at a launch angle higher than 60 degrees. Baddoo will fit in just fine and they won’t even try to fix him.

        Reply
  18. stymeedone

    10 months ago

    If he was right handed, he would likely still have a spot, but the Tigers stocked up on LH everything. He still has tools.

    1
    Reply
  19. BurnerK

    10 months ago

    Needs a minor league contract with a better system of coaches not managers. It’s not entirely his fault and not entirely theirs. Good luck to him.

    Reply
  20. The Saber-toothed Superfife

    10 months ago

    He should be doing well.
    I think he accidentally got bashed in the phycology department but will be back on his feet forthwith!

    Reply
  21. MLBSCHMEMLB

    10 months ago

    Do you Akil like Baddoo?

    1
    Reply
  22. Datashark

    10 months ago

    there was a short time where Baddoo was hitting everything — he was in the zone — but the zone moved on him and he went back to cold as ice.

    Reply
  23. GO1962

    10 months ago

    BOO HOO! There is no more Baddoo for fans in the Motor City to enjoy.

    Reply
  24. Rsox

    10 months ago

    After a promising rookie year Baddoo fell of so badly Erykah Badu looked like a better hitter…

    2
    Reply
  25. Motown is My Town

    10 months ago

    It’s beyond disappointing how little the Tigers have done to improve the team so far this offseason. It’s like they’re giving us fans the middle finger as thanks for support this past season and expecting us to come out in droves next year.

    1
    Reply
  26. unpaidobserver

    10 months ago

    Hell never be designated from the list of all time baseball names tho…

    1
    Reply
  27. Dumpster Divin Theo

    10 months ago

    The Tiggers say yabba dabba do to Akil

    2
    Reply
  28. MPrck

    10 months ago

    23 SKIDOO BADDOO ! Thanks for playing in Detroit, and we all hope a team signs you to a major league deal. Good luck to/for y0u

    2
    Reply
  29. SportsFan0000

    10 months ago

    Baddo was a very exciting player when he 1st landed there as a Rule 5 pick.

    He just got “lost in the shuffle over there”.

    Wonder if Badoo had had more minor league development what kind of player he would be now?!

    If the A’s or Reds or White Sox or Guardians or Marlins or Rays
    would just start him some where in the field and “coach him up”.
    then some team might catch lightening in a bottle with Badoo.

    1
    Reply
    • Dumpster Divin Theo

      10 months ago

      Sure, he seemed to always wreak havoc v the Sox so why not

      Reply
  30. eddieb85

    10 months ago

    He was not arbitration eligible. Not sure why you guys haven’t corrected that yet.

    Reply
  31. WeTheOnes

    10 months ago

    So far the Tigers have lost a lot of players in both portions of the R5 draft…I guess that indicates the system is pretty healthy. I can’t remember the Tigers losing more than 1-2 before the major league and minor league portions of the draft.

    Reply

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