The Tigers announced the signing of free agent reliever John Brebbia to a one-year deal with a $2.75MM guarantee. The Icon Sports Management client receives a $2.25MM base salary for the upcoming season and is guaranteed a $500K buyout on a $4MM club option for 2026. Detroit placed Alex Lange on the 60-day injured list to create a 40-man roster spot.
Brebbia’s deal includes $2MM in performance bonuses in both seasons — $250K each for 50, 55, 60 and 65 appearances and $250K apiece at 40, 45, 50, and 55 games finished. The ’26 option price can escalate based on his numbers this year. It’d climb by $500K at 65 appearances, $1MM apiece at 45 and 50 games finished, and by $2MM for 55 games finished. The maximum escalator value is capped at $4MM, so the appearance threshold would essentially be nullified if Brebbia finishes 55 games and pushes the option value to $8MM based on that criteria alone.
It’s a late addition to A.J. Hinch’s middle relief group. Brebbia split the 2024 campaign between the White Sox and Braves. He spent the bulk of the season in Chicago, where he initially looked to be a potential trade chip. He carried a strong 30% strikeout rate and a tidy 5.6% walk percentage over 38 innings into the All-Star Break. A low left-on-base rate contributed to a middling 4.50 earned run average, but he’d held opposing hitters to a .235/.288/.389 showing across 160 plate appearances.
Brebbia had a few ill-timed blowups in the weeks between the All-Star Break and the trade deadline. That tanked Chicago’s chances of dealing him. He continued to struggle into August. The Sox released him towards the end of that month. There was minimal value for them in carrying an impending free agent middle reliever for the final few weeks of the season. Brebbia caught on with Atlanta and tossed 6 2/3 frames of two-run ball over five appearances to finish the year.
The 34-year-old finished the season with an unsightly 5.86 ERA across 55 1/3 innings. His more interesting strikeout and walk numbers led Detroit to give him an Opening Day bullpen job. Brebbia had allowed fewer than four earned runs per nine innings in 2022 and ’23 as a member of the Giants. He fanned 29.2% of batters faced two seasons ago and has a quality 25.9% strikeout rate over his seven-year MLB career.
Brebbia and Tommy Kahnle are new additions to a Detroit bullpen that’ll be anchored by holdovers Jason Foley, Beau Brieske, Tyler Holton and Will Vest. They’re likely to have Kenta Maeda in a long relief role even with Alex Cobb set to open the season on the injured list.
Lange was Detroit’s season-opening closer in 2024. He had a tough time finding the strike zone and was optioned to Triple-A in the middle of May. Lange suffered a lat tear while pitching in the minors and required season-ending surgery in June. Detroit evidently didn’t feel he’d be ready within the first couple months of this season. The IL placement shelves him until late May at the earliest.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Roster spots not precious?
Congratulations, John Brebbia!
Man that guys got a good agent
Got that right had nearly a 6 era between two clubs last year and that lands him almost 3 million with a club option for 4 mil?
Watched him in STL and always liked him. Maybe he’ll rebound
I’d like to hear the rationale for this move. Seems like an overpay for someone with a negative WAR last year. Don’t see how he’s better than anyone else currently slated for the Tiger’s bullpen. Who are we going to lose in the corresponding roster move?
Lange to 60 day IL. But still an overpay
Brebbia has been an above avg reliever for most of his career, they obviously see last year as an outlier. He also seems to be a great clubhouse glue guy wherever he goes that is not captured in the stats. I’m not a Tigers fan but I think it’s a good pickup for them.
Only read the headline and shot right to the comments, huh?
Nope, commented when there was just the announcement and “more to come”. Didn’t realize Lange was a candidate for the 60 day. Disappointed about that but glad they didn’t lose anyone.
Weird because I read it when it was “more to come” as well, but that information was there. I agree with the weird rationale tho. I’m assuming the 11-12 k’s per 9 intrigued someone
.235/.288/.389 against hitters in first half
Bad strand rate led to inflated era and depressed war.
Seems like a very smart pickup on a guy that got unlucky
Fetter must see something worth working with. I’ll reserve judgement. At this point Hinch and his staff have earned the benefit of the doubt.
I’d say the 4M club option is the baked in incentive for the team if they are able to find some more consistency in his performance
I saw “Tigers sign Bre….awww, damn…
You missed the name “John” in your excitement.
5 ERA guys are getting $3.25 million guaranteed plus up to $2 million in bonuses but the $3.35 million guy the Padres signed last season who put up an ERA under 4.00 is a bum?
Nobody is saying this guy isn’t a bum. What’s with San Diego fans and their victim mentality? You guys had fat, middle-aged losers making a San Diego playoff rap, and now people are whining about being picked on.
Fetter sees something, I’m assuming. Otherwise, they may as well gave a 1 year 10 million deal to Robertson.
I think the strikeouts appeal to them. He k’s 11-12 guys per 9.
I’d say it’s an overpay, but if anyone can get him on track it’s our pitching coach Chris Fetter.
I’ve never been frightened by this guy when he faced my Tigers. But then, what do I know?
Better than Faedo?
Faedo always seems to be hurt, but it Brebbia doesn’t seem like a big upgrade. But have trust in Chris Fetter. I think he has a lot to do with their free agent pitching selections, even Cobb. But you can’t coach health.
Cobb is already injured
Yes.
The only strike out Faedo ever sees is when the girl on Tinder swipes left
(I’ll never get why fans get so attached to draft position in a sport with insane draft volatility like baseball. Faedo is TWENTY NINE YEARS OLD. He’s not a prospect. He’s also not a major league pitcher.)
one issue the Tigers BP had last year was striking out guys. It made them rely a ton on the defense, and the IF defense was not great last year. When Meadows went down to AAA, the OF defense took a huge hit too, When Parker and Sweeney came up and starting playing every day it was a couple huge upgrades.
Getting Tommy Changeup and Brebbia helps address that weakness. And makes them less reliant on their defense (if Jobe is in the rotation from day 1 and maybe Mize) which is a good thing,
Gabe Kapler’s favorite opener
This signing is all about ONE STAT: Strikeouts
The Tigers staff, but especially the bullpen, was among the worst in baseball in strikeout rate. It’s why they let guys like Faedo and Englert go, and why they targeted a guy like Kahnle and now Brebbia.
We saw in the postseason how not having a guy capable of swing n miss other than Brieske really hurt us. This is an obvious attempt to make sure AJ has legitimate options for every type of scenario
To me it’s a win of a signing because it shows the Tigers identified a need–one a lot of ppl like myself saw–and then identified players that were attainable to fill that need….then attained them.
I’m sure he wasn’t option #1. He probably wasn’t option #5. But the sport is dominated by strikeouts–either you’re making them or forcing em, and we didn’t do enough of the latter last year.
He won’t move the needle for a lot of the Tiger fans on here (especially the ones addicted to 29yo Faedo for some strange reason), but honestly… did Will Vest move needles at the time? Jason Foley? Brian Hurter and Tyler Holton?
@diabetic… Very well said.
Ewww
Brebbia oh Brebbia, say have you met Brebbia?
I see this guy as another of The Tigers’ yearly resurrect-and-trade candidates (see Alex Cobb) come July ’25., though I think he can be productive.
This year, the Tigers will be buying at the deadline, not selling.
We hope.