The Tigers have agreed to terms on a minor league contract with free agent outfielder Ben Gamel, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. Gamel, a Wasserman client, was released by the Astros earlier in the week. His new deal with the Tigers will have the same $1.2MM base as the non-guaranteed big league deal from which he was released in Houston.
Gamel, 32, has appeared in each of the past nine big league seasons. He’s a career .252/.334/.382 hitter in 2320 trips to the plate in the majors. Gamel, who’s suited up for the Yankees, Mariners, Brewers, Guardians, Pirates, Padres, Mets and Astros over his near-decade in the big leagues, was a semi-regular from 2017-22 but has just 114 big league plate appearances over the past two seasons. He’s an OBP-oriented corner bat who’s best suited for left field.
Detroit has seen its outfield mix hobbled considerably by injuries to begin the season. Parker Meadows is dealing with a nerve issue and is still shut down for another four weeks at the very least. He’ll need to build back up to game readiness after his shutdown period. He’s already on the 60-day injured list and won’t return until June at the earliest.
Right fielder/third baseman Matt Vierling is opening the season on the injured list due to a strained rotator cuff. Utilityman Wenceel Perez who’d been ticketed for regular work in the outfield after Meadows and Vierling were injured, will instead miss at least the first month of the season due to a back injury.
Following that slate of injuries, the Tigers signed veteran Manuel Margot to a big league deal. He was granted his release by the Brewers over the weekend after spending camp with them as a non-roster invitee. Margot, Riley Greene and Kerry Carpenter are now poised to log the bulk of the time in the outfield. Utility options like Zach McKinstry, Ryan Kreidler and Andy Ibanez could all see time in the outfield as well, and Detroit has even gotten Spencer Torkelson some reps in right field. Gamel will join prospect Justyn-Henry Malloy as one of the top depth options in the minors, though Malloy is already on the 40-man roster and could have a leg up as a result.
Scraping the bottom of the barrel
Do not cyber bully
Average white man
Go, Ben, go! I appreciate Ben’s leadership and playing ability during his time with the Buccos..
Decent depth option. How many teams lose the top three options for one position before the season even begins? That is really bad luck, and it’s smart to make and additional depth signing in case Manuel Margot gets injured.
Better than Badoo.
Definitely a depth option. 32 so not exactly young. Has played all 3 OF, 1B and DH but most in the corner OF. MiLB deal so not really any problem with this type of signing. A vet you can plug in if you need to. Hopefully we won’t.
Hey, this is finally Derek Hill’s chance! Go get him, Harris!
Wudda rather gave Moniak or Canario a shot.
The Tigers aren’t saying it out loud, but Meadows and Veirling are not going to be around much this year.
I’m beginning to think Meadows might be a lost cause, at least for this season.
I’m concerned too. There really hasn’t been any updates on Vierling. I wouldn’t be surprised to see his defensive positioning limited upon return. Moving from OF, where you throw over the top, to IF, where you tend to throw sidearm, can be hard on a shoulder. Maybe they just should have gotten a 3B.
Anyone seen Jacoby Jones?
He’s with Austin Jackson.
Atta boy Ben!
Gamel is essentially the spare tire.
If these are type players are signing for injury replacemeny i’m not
impressed
Margot & Gamel are not major leaguers. You know what you have with both of them. Margot is a total zero. Shoulda checked in on those two Mets.