The Tigers have claimed right-hander Ryan Cusick off waivers from the Athletics, according to announcements from both clubs. He has been optioned to Triple-A Toledo. The righty was designated for assignment by the A’s earlier this week. The Tigers had an open 40-man spot but are reportedly planning to select righty Dylan Smith, so they will now need to make a corresponding move for him, though Alex Cobb could easily be transferred to the 60-day injured list since he’s already been out of action longer than 60 days.
Cusick, 25, is a former first-round pick but his recent results haven’t lined up to that billing. Atlanta grabbed him with the 24th overall pick in 2021 and gave him a $2.7MM signing bonus. Just a few months later, he was flipped to the A’s as part of the Matt Olson deal in March of 2022.
The A’s kept him in a starting role at first but he missed time due to injury and struggled to successfully develop his changeup as a third pitch. Over 2022 and 2023, he tossed 143 innings, mostly at the Double-A level, with a 5.60 earned run average. He was still starting in the first half of 2024 but the A’s moved him to the bullpen midway through, with encouraging results. He posted a 1.73 ERA in his final 26 innings. His 11.8% walk rate was on the high side but he struck out 28.2% of batters faced.
The A’s gave him a 40-man spot in November to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft but his results have backed up here in 2025. He posted a 6.75 ERA through 14 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level. He was playing in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League but didn’t do himself any favors with a 16.4% strikeout rate and 19.4% walk rate, though he did get grounders on 57.5% of balls in play.
Cusick may still be a work in progress but he has a full slate of options and the Tigers had a 40-man roster spot. They can send him to Toledo to see if they can help him get back on track after a rough start to his season.
Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images
He was a first round pick the same year as Jackson Jobe. I’m surprised he was available.
Well he was a terrible pick by Atlanta who has an unhealthy obsession with drafting only pitchers
@amk: “only pitchers” like Michael Harris II and Drake Baldwin? Pitchers total half of a MLB roster. Good reason to be pitching heavy in drafts. FA pitchers cost more than drafting and developing their own too. Young pitchers also make good trade chips.
Only pitchers in round 1. They are good in the later rounds with Schwellenbach and Strider but always reach round 1. It’s just an observation. Shuster and Cusick were terrible. Waldrep was hyped like crazy and has produced nothing close to what he was supposed to be
Don’t disagree on Schuster and Cusick, but Shea Langeliers (9th selection, 1st round 2019)was turned into a trade chip and he’s played well for the A’s. The Braves second selection in the first round in 2019 was Braden Shewmake. So, two first round position players. Waldrep has been good since the change in his mechanics (arm slot) a month ago. Only a month, but the results have been solid. Little soon to call a 2023 first round pick a bust.
They now have 3 first round pitchers from that draft on the 40 man, Cusick, Madden, and Jobe
Dylan Smith was a 3rd rounder in that draft. Tigers took Jobe, Madden and Pacheco ahead of him.
Former #1’s, like Cusick, have some value if it’s still early in their career. If he’s fixable, the Tigers are the best place to find out. Suspect he’s a bullpen arm going forward.
He hasn’t shown he’s MLB caliber, that’s why. High BB low SO.
I thought it was issues developing his changeup as stated in the article. I should ve waited until I read speculation in the comments from someone who skipped article and formulated an opinion based off of a brief look at stats…
Big dude
New England guy! Really uninspiring K/BB numbers in the minors, but maybe Tigers think they can fix something in his mechanics. Would be funny to see him and Jobe on the same team.
Went to Avon Old Farms like George Springer
terrrible trade for the A’s, great trade for the Braves.
It was a great trade for the A’s if you put it in the same light of all their other trades in that time period.
They were able to get rid of talented players for terrible players so that they could then 2x the cost of season tickets for a terrible team and show that no-one was coming to the games – thus making the case among MLB executives (who are all stupider than stupid apparently) that Oakland simply wouldn’t support a MLB team b/c no-one was coming to the games.
The fact that all – 100% – of the owners agreed with the A’s ploy and supported the move to Las Vegas shows just how the sport is run. It is NOT about the love of the game – all the owners are the same – they just care about money and they will support each other in any way that can be made w/o reservation or hesitation.
Sending Cusick to Toledo? I’d just keep going down I-75 and drop him off in Lakeland! If he can’t throw strikes in the PCL, he won’t be able to throw them in Toledo either.
Yep. See Blair Calvo.
They want him to get some time with the AAA pitching coach & Fetters can use an off day to drive to Toledo.
Cusick is a guy that if you just listen to the hyperbole and the excuses made – you’d think he was a LHP.
I assume the Rockies can’t claim him because he didn’t make it thought he AL? These are the players that awful team should claim.
As bad as his stats and performances have been, I have to believe he just needs the right tutor and the Tigers think Chris Fetter is that guy.
Not every reclamation project has turned out good, but Fetter has had overwhelming success. Get better with Fetter!
I gave you a “thumbs up” out of hope, and respect for Chris Fetter. However, you can’t teach strike throwing.
@For Love of the Game: Yeah, that’s something you have to pray/hope/beg for—-especially from relief pitchers.
Sure, you can. Pretty much every competent professional pitcher can throw a strike when he has to. It’s throwing a strike they doesn’t get smashed.
Tigers have been good at evaluating a pitcher’s repertoire, tweaking the deliveries, setting up sequences. Finding the right mix. If the Tiger’s think he has potential, I’m sure he does. I won’t be surprised if he doesn’t get better.
I hear that a lot but who have they done this for?
Low risk, high reward. Worth the look.
Who gets the DFA for Parker next week? Krider? Hicklen? Badoo? Or one of these new pitchers?
Maybe Manning? 6.46 ERA and 1.86 WHIP at Toledo in 30 IP this year. Can’t see them sticking with MM much longer. Trade bait more likely, but can there be many takers? He doesn’t have much value at this point.
But, he’s a pitcher and someone probably thinks they can work with the No. 17 prospect overall in 2020 per Baseball America, four years after being drafted in 2016. At 27, he may be a change-of-scenery candidate.
Ryan can’t hit & is only a depth guy 4A at this point. I was hoping RK would hire George Brett in the offseason 😂
That’s a lot of hits.
That’s a lot of walks.
Maybe PCL destroyed his confidence?
As bad as the Athletics pitching is, and as bad as the pitching is for their Triple-A Las Vegas team, the fact that he’s not good enough for the A’s is one of the biggest red flags possible.