Tigers Decline Club Option On Randy Dobnak

The Tigers declined their $6MM club option on right-hander Randy Dobnak, reports Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. He’ll receive a $1MM buyout and become a free agent.

It was the expected outcome for Dobnak, who came to the Tigers alongside fellow righty Chris Paddack in the trade sending catching prospect Enrique Jimenez to the Twins this past July. Dobnak, who was earning $3MM this year and had a $1MM buyout on that option (plus now-moot club options for 2027 and 2028), was included in the trade simply as a means of clearing salary for Minnesota. He wasn’t on the 40-man roster, having already been outrighted multiple times in the past, and never pitched in the majors with the Tigers.

The now-30-year-old Dobnak was a remarkable story back in 2017-19, going from an undrafted free agent playing in a tiny independent league (and driving Uber on the side to make ends meet) to pitching for the Twins in the postseason in less than two years’ time. After pitching for Division-II Alderson Broaddus University in his college days, Dobnak signed with the Utica Unicorns of the United Shore League. He started only six games before the Twins caught a look at him and signed him.

Dobnak was the Twins’ minor league pitcher of the year in 2019 after working to a combined 2.07 ERA across 135 innings. He logged a 1.59 ERA in his first nine MLB appearances that season, made the playoff roster, and gave the Twins 10 serviceable starts during the shortened 2020 season. Minnesota signed Dobnak to a five-year, $9.25MM contract in spring 2021. It hasn’t panned out, though obviously the financial risk was minimal, particularly given that the contract’s three option years bought out three free-agent seasons.

Unfortunately for both Dobnak and the Twins, his results tanked shortly after signing the extension. He was shelled for a 7.64 ERA in 50 2/3 innings in 2021 and has pitched only 15 big league innings since. Dobnak has now posted ERA marks north of 5.00 in three of the past four Triple-A seasons. He’s never missed many bats or thrown particularly hard, but his once-sterling walk rate has ballooned to around 12% over the past four seasons.

The Tigers were never going to pick up Dobnak’s option. They’ll pay him a $1MM buyout, and he’ll become a free agent who’ll look to latch on as a depth piece on a minor league deal — or perhaps garner some interest from a team overseas.