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Tigers Re-Sign Drew Hutchison

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The Tigers have re-signed righty Drew Hutchison to a new minor league contract, MLBTR has confirmed. Chris McCosky of the Detroit News tweeted yesterday that a new deal between the Tigers and the ACES client was expected to come together at some point this week.

That’s now three minor league deals with Detroit in the past three months for Hutchison. Originally signed in mid-March, Hutchison cracked Detroit’s Opening Day roster and pitched out of their bullpen for the first month of the season before being designated for assignment and electing free agency mid-May. He returned a couple weeks later, was selected back to the big league roster in mid-June, and was again designated for assignment last week. Hutchison elected free agency at that point but will return for another stint with the Tigers organization.

The 31-year-old Hutchison has pitched well in Triple-A this season and has been a serviceable source of big league innings both in the rotation and bullpen for an injury-depleted Tigers pitching staff. In 24 1/3 Major League frames, he has a 4.81 ERA, though his 17-to-16 K/BB ratio is rather ominous. Hutchison recently made a pair of starts for the Tigers, who have four starting pitchers on the injured list, and allowed five runs over a total of 8 2/3 frames.

The 2022 campaign is the seventh in which Hutchison has logged big league time. He’s tallied 506 Major League innings between the Blue Jays, Pirates, Phillies, Rangers and Tigers, pitching to a combined 4.96 ERA with a 20% strikeout rate, an 8.3% walk rate and a 39.3% ground-ball rate in that time.

Latest On Austin Meadows

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  • Austin Meadows will start a minor league rehab assignment this week, with Tigers manager A.J. Hinch telling reporters (including Chris McCosky of The Detroit News) that Meadows will likely start game action on Tuesday.  Meadows was placed on the COVID-related IL on June 17 after testing positive for the coronavirus, but he has now cleared health protocols.

A.J. Hinch Under Contract With Tigers Through 2025

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Just before the 2020 season concluded, the Tigers finalized agreement with A.J. Hinch to take over as manager. At the time, the club announced the hiring only as a “multi-year” deal, and it’d remained unclear for how long he was under contract until this week. Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic reports that Hinch signed a five-year pact, taking him through the end of the 2025 campaign. Rosenthal adds that general manager Al Avila’s deal wraps up before that point, although its specific terms are still unreported.

The five-year term for Hinch is a fairly lengthy commitment for a manager, but it reflects the atypical track in which he was hired. Generally regarded as one of the sport’s best skippers for much of his tenure with the Astros, Hinch was suspended for the entire 2020 season after the extent of the club’s 2017 sign-stealing operation became public. Houston dismissed both he and GM Jeff Lunhow almost immediately thereafter, but Hinch became an in-demand managerial candidate virtually the second his suspension was up.

The 48-year-old oversaw 100-win teams for each of his final three seasons in Houston. The Astros claimed a pair of pennants during that stretch and won the 2017 World Series. Those teams’ star-studded rosters obviously played a big role in that success, but the manager had drawn plenty of plaudits for the Astros’ excellence before the sign-stealing revelations.

Since landing in Detroit, Hinch has endured quite a bit more losing. That was to be expected last season as the club neared the end of a massive rebuild. The Tigers were coming off their third last place finish in four years, and a dismal April killed any chance they had of hanging in contention in 2021. Detroit played fairly well from May onwards, however, leading to some optimism they might turn a corner this year.

Instead, the Tigers have begun the season at a 26-43 pace. They’re virtually certain to finish below .500 for a sixth straight year, and they’ve been outscored by 100 runs through play Thursday. Detroit’s rotation has been gutted by injuries, with only Tarik Skubal staying healthy all season. Spencer Turnbull also underwent Tommy John surgery last year and was always expected to miss most or all of the season. Virtually any team would have a tough time overcoming the losses of six of its top seven starters, but the Tigers’ problems have gone beyond rotation woes.

The bigger indictment for the organization has been a generally anemic offense that ranks last in MLB with 198 runs scored. (Every other team has plated at least 220). Detroit has a .226/.281/.327 slash line that translates to a 75 wRC+, indicating they’ve been 25 percentage points worse than the average hitting team. That figure is tied with the A’s for worst in the league. The Detroit lineup has been problematic essentially top to bottom; of 11 players with at least plate appearances, Miguel Cabrera and Austin Meadows are the only two with a wRC+ better than the 100 league average. Cabrera (.299/.336/.374) and Meadows (.250/.347/.328) have only been marginally above par themselves.

The team’s disappointing first half is magnified by the aggressiveness with which Avila and his staff attacked this past offseason. Detroit signed Javier Báez to a $140MM guarantee with a post-2023 opt-out opportunity. That came on the heels of a $77MM investment in starter Eduardo Rodríguez, while the club picked up Meadows and Tucker Barnhart via trade. Most public projection systems still viewed Detroit as a longshot to contend for a playoff spot, but few would’ve forecast them struggling to this extent.

Avila has overseen the entirety of Detroit’s rebuild. A longtime member of the front office, he took over baseball operations in August 2015 when Dave Dombrowski left the organization. Avila assumed an aging roster with a bottom-tier farm system, so it wasn’t surprising the club embarked on a retooling effort. Detroit has had a top ten draft pick in five of the last six seasons.

Players like Casey Mize, Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson and Matt Manning have all reached the majors and still have plenty of long-term promise, but they’ve not yet pushed the team especially close to contention. Mize and Manning have dealt with injury issues — including a recent Tommy John procedure for the former — while Torkelson has stumbled to a .191/.282/.291 showing through his first 63 big league games.

As the August 2 trade deadline approaches, Avila and his staff look likely to serve as at least moderate sellers. Relievers Andrew Chafin and Michael Fulmer are each nearing free agency (Chafin after 2023, Fulmer following this season) and should draw interest from contenders. Barnhart, Robbie Grossman and Michael Pineda all are impending free agents and could be dealt for cost savings and/or a minimal prospect return. The Tigers won’t be offering the kind of impact talent of some other sellers this summer, but they seem likely to move a few shorter-term players for help in 2023 and beyond.

Drew Hutchison Elects Free Agency

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The Tigers announced Wednesday that righty Drew Hutchison, who was designated for assignment over the weekend, cleared outright waivers and elected free agency rather than accepting an assignment to the minors (presumably to Triple-A Toledo). That doesn’t necessarily preclude Hutchison from returning to the Tigers; he rejected one outright assignment earlier this year, only to return on a new minor league deal a few days later. (Newly brokered deals can include more timely opt-out opportunities, new terms, etc.)

Hutchison, 31, has tossed 24 1/3 innings for the Tigers this season, pitching to a 4.81 ERA with shaky strikeout and walk tendencies (17 strikeouts, 16 walks). He yielded five runs through 8 2/3 frames during this most recent big league stint and also carries a 2.79 ERA through 9 2/3 innings in Triple-A so far this year.

After showing some promise with the Blue Jays earlier in his career and even earning an Opening Day starter nod with Toronto, Hutchison has settled in as a journeyman starter/reliever, now having pitched for five different big league teams across the past six seasons (in addition to Triple-A stops with three other clubs). In 506 Major League innings, he has a 4.96 ERA with an even 20% strikeout rate against a roughly average 8.3% walk rate.

Hutchison sports a sub-4.00 ERA in 591 2/3 career Triple-A frames as well, making him a solid depth option to have on hand — be it for the Tigers or another club with pitching needs. Few clubs have had as many pitching injuries this year as Detroit, however, so it wouldn’t be a shock to see him return for another stint, as the path back to the big leagues is more open there than with most organizations.

Marlins Sign Billy Hamilton To Minor League Deal, Acquire Ryan Lavarnway From Tigers

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The Marlins announced a pair of veteran additions to the upper levels of the farm system this evening (as relayed by Christina De Nicola of MLB.com). Miami signed center fielder Billy Hamilton to a minor league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Jacksonville; they’ve also acquired non-roster catcher Ryan Lavarnway in a trade with the Tigers.

Hamilton has appeared in the majors in every season between 2013-21. One of the fastest players in the sport, he stole between 56 and 59 bases in each of his first four full campaigns with the Reds. That athleticism was also on display on defense, as Hamilton consistently rated as an elite gloveman in center field. The baserunning and defense kept him in the everyday lineup for five seasons, but his bat has never developed as hoped.

The former second-round pick is a career .240/.293/.327 hitter in more than 3200 major league plate appearances. He’s particularly struggled in recent seasons, putting up a .213/.269/.299 line since the start of the 2019 campaign. Hamilton has taken on more of a journeyman role, suiting up with each of the Royals, Braves, Mets, Cubs and White Sox over the past three years.

Hamilton signed a minor league deal with the Mariners over the winter. He appeared in 22 games with their top affiliate in Tacoma, mustering only a .168/.263/.209 mark. He triggered an opt-out clause in that deal on June 1, and he’ll head to Florida after finding his latest opportunity. The Fish will add an experienced glove-first depth option behind a rather thin collection of center fielders.

Miami has given the bulk of the playing time at the position to Jesús Sánchez and Bryan De La Cruz, but both are probably stretched there defensively. Hamilton will need to show signs of life at the plate in Jacksonville to get a major league look, but he at least offers the potential for a complementary profile if he can work his way onto the MLB roster.

Lavarnway, meanwhile, has spent the entire season with the Tigers’ top affiliate in Toledo. The 34-year-old backstop has had a good showing with the Mud Hens, posting a .281/.385/.459 line through 174 plate appearances. He’s walked at an excellent 13.2% clip this year and generally has a strong upper minors track record.

A quintessential third catcher, Lavarnway got to the big leagues in ten of the eleven seasons between 2011-21 (2016 being the lone exception). Only twice has he exceeded 100 plate appearances, though, and he’s not reached ten games in a season since 2015. He continues to bounce around the league as a valued depth option, spending time in 11 different organizations — including a five-game stint with Miami two years ago.

The Marlins have Jacob Stallings and Nick Fortes on the MLB roster at the moment. Payton Henry is the only other backstop on the 40-man, but he’s been on the minor league injured list for the past two weeks. De Nicola tweeted this afternoon that Henry recently underwent surgery on his right thumb, necessitating the addition of another depth option at the position.

Dodgers Acquire Trayce Thompson From Tigers

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The Dodgers added some outfield depth Monday, announcing agreement with the Tigers on a deal that sends Trayce Thompson to Los Angeles in exchange for cash considerations. It’ll be the second stint in L.A. for the 31-year-old.

Thompson had not been on the Detroit 40-man roster, having signed a minor league contract a month ago. He won’t immediately occupy a 40-man spot with Los Angeles either, although it seems likely the Dodgers will add him to the big league club within the next few days. Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic reported this morning that L.A. was on the hunt for a right-handed hitting outfielder in the wake of Mookie Betts’ trip to the injured list. Thompson, it seems, will get the first crack in that role.

A former second-round pick of the White Sox, Thompson has appeared in parts of six big league seasons. That included a 2016-17 run in Dodger blue, as the club landed him from Chicago in a three-team trade that sent Todd Frazier from Cincinnati to the Sox. Thompson appeared in 107 games with Los Angeles over those two seasons, the biggest body of work he’s compiled with any of the five MLB clubs for which he’s suited up.

That includes a six-game stint with the division-rival Padres this season. Thompson didn’t produce during that cup of coffee in San Diego, but he’s absolutely mashed at the minors’ top level in 2022. Between San Diego’s and Detroit’s highest affiliates, he’s compiled a .305/.365/.721 line and blasted 17 home runs in 41 games. Thompson has struck out in 28.2% of his Triple-A plate appearances, but his massive impact from a power perspective was enough to convince the Dodgers front office to bring him back.

Swing-and-miss concerns have been a similar problem for Thompson at the major league level. He’s punched out in 28.6% of his 640 career plate appearances en route to a .205/.280/.397 line. He’s popped 26 homers and swiped 11 bases, but the subpar on-base numbers have relegated him more towards journeyman status in recent years. Thompson has unsurprisingly been better when holding the platoon advantage than against same-handed arms, but his .218/.283/.445 line against southpaws is still a bit below-average.

Thompson will be something of a stopgap option while Betts recovers, an unsurprising course of action for the organization to take. Rosenthal wrote this morning the team wasn’t looking to surrender notable young talent in any deal, reasoning they could take a bigger swing at an impact addition closer to the trade deadline if Betts misses an extended amount of time.

Juan Toribio of MLB.com first reported the Dodgers were nearing agreement on a deal to land Thompson. Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times confirmed there was a deal in place, while Cody Stavenhagen of the Athletic first reported the Tigers would receive cash in return.

Tigers Designate Drew Hutchison For Assignment

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After this afternoon’s game, the Tigers announced to reporters that right-hander Drew Hutchison has been designated for assignment. Third baseman Jeimer Candelario will likely be activated from the injured list in a corresponding move. (Twitter links from Evan Woodbery of MLive.)

After today, all teams in baseball will be allowed to use no more than 13 of their 26 active roster spots on pitchers. Many teams, including the Tigers, have been opting for a 14-12 ratio of pitchers to position players recently, meaning that transactions of this nature will be inevitable to even things out.

Hutchison, 31, is no stranger to being designated for assignment by the Tigers, as this is the third such instance in the past year. A starting pitcher earlier in his career, he had a rough season in 2018 and didn’t make it to the big leagues at all in either 2019 or 2020. The Tigers signed him to a minor league deal for the 2021 season, eventually selecting his contract in August. He was DFA’d after just over a week and sent to the minors before being selected again in September.

After reaching free agency at season’s end, he signed another minor league deal with Detroit for this campaign. He made the Opening Day roster but was sent into DFA limbo in May, eventually reaching free agency but signing yet another minors deal with the Tigers. He made it back to the bigs less than a week ago and is now, once again, designated for assignment. He has a 4.81 ERA through 24 1/3 innings on the year.

The club’s rotation has been decimated by injuries this year, forcing them to continually scramble for options to cover innings. Hutchison got the start today and managed to get through 4 2/3. With three off-days coming up between now and the end of the month, they should be able to get by for a while a four-man rotation of Tarik Skubal, Beau Brieske, Alex Faedo and Rony Garcia. However, July with be a different story, with 19 games in just 17 days going into the All-Star break, thanks to a pair of doubleheaders. If Hutchison continues his pattern of re-signing with Detroit after clearing waivers, it’s possible they will need his services again in a few weeks.

As for Candelario, he was slumping miserably before hitting the injured list a few weeks ago. He seemed to establish himself as the club’s future everyday third baseman by hitting .278/.356/.458 over 2020 and 2021, producing a wRC+ of 123. However, this year, he hit just .181/.236/.319 for a 58 wRC+ before landing on the shelf with a shoulder injury. He’ll look to get things back on track as things go forward. In his absence, most of the playing time at the hot corner has gone to super utility player Harold Castro, who has played every position on the diamond except catcher in his career.

Tigers Claim Ali Sanchez Off Waivers From Cardinals

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The Tigers have claimed catcher Ali Sanchez off waivers from the Cardinals and optioned him to Triple-A, per the team. In addition, Jacob Barnes was granted his release after clearing waivers.

Sanchez, still just 25 years old, has appeared in the Majors in each of the past two seasons with the Cardinals and Mets, respectively. He has yet to garner more than a dozen appearances, however. Of course, the Cardinals and Mets were both been pot-committed to their starting catcher, whether by performance and pedigree in the case of Yadier Molina or by contract in the case of James McCann. He has posted solid offensive numbers in Triple-A, slashing .255/.333/.409 across 123 plate appearances this season.

Sanchez may find more of an opportunity in Detroit playing behind Tucker Barnhart and Eric Haase, who sees as much time in the outfield and designated hitter now as he does at catcher. Sanchez also has an option remaining, which may put him in front of veteran Dustin Garneau on the short-term call-up list.

As for Barnes, the 32-year-old journeyman is granted free agency after making 22 appearances and posting a 6.10 ERA/5.51 FIP across 20 2/3 innings.

Tigers To Promote Riley Greene

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The Tigers are promoting top prospect Riley Greene, according to various reporters (including Chris McCosky of the Detroit News). Outfielder Austin Meadows is going on the COVID-19 injured list in a corresponding move.

Had it not been for a fractured right foot suffered in the last few days of Spring Training, Greene was on track to make his Major League debut back on Opening Day.  Instead, the 21-year-old has to work through injury rehab and then 17 minor league games (15 at Triple-A, two in A-ball on a rehab assignment) before officially being deemed ready for his first taste of the Show.

Detroit selected Greene with the fifth overall pick of the 2019 draft, and he has since been a fixture on top-prospect rankings, including a consensus top-six placement heading into the 2022 campaign.  The Athletic’s Keith Law considered Greene as the third-best prospect in baseball, with Baseball America (4th), MLB Pipeline (5th), and Baseball Prospectus (6th) not far behind.

Greene only had an okay start to his pro career in 2019 at age 18, and then naturally didn’t play at all in 2020 due to the canceled minor league season.  Returning to the field last year, Greene hit .301/.387/.534 with 24 home runs and 16 steals over 558 plate appearances at the Double-A (373 PA) and Triple-A (185) levels.

There is plenty of five-tool potential for Greene, who was already regarded as having “elite bat speed” (as per Baseball America’s scouting report) even before he started to display more power at the plate in 2021.  According to BA, Greene’s “physical gifts and advanced feel at the plate make him a potential plus-plus hitter who contends for batting titles and he has a chance to grow into 20-plus home run power.”  Greene adds to that offensive potential by being a stolen-base threat thanks to his plus speed, and that same speed has also helped him become a solid defensive center fielder.  He could ultimately be best suited to a corner outfield position, and Greene also has a strong throwing arm that would help him in right field.

As if there wasn’t enough pressure on a 21-year-old making his MLB debut, Greene also finds himself cast as perhaps a turning point (or savior) of what has been a disastrous season for the Tigers.  After years of rebuilding, the Tigers looked to be turning the corner with young talent on the way up, and they augmented that core of prospects with veteran additions like Javier Baez, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Meadows during the offseason.

Instead, Detroit has only a 24-39 record, as the club has been hampered injuries to almost every member of the rotation and a near-total lack of hitting.  Tarik Skubal, Beau Brieske, and Alex Faedo have helped keep the rotation afloat, but the Tigers are batting a collective .220/.275/.315.  Harold Castro’s modest 114 wRC+ leads all Detroit batters who have received regular or semi-regular playing time.

Against this backdrop, it is probably already too late for Greene to spark any sort of miracle turn-around.  Instead, the outfielder will try to hit the ground running and make a good showing for himself in his rookie season, in order to give the Tigers something to look forward to as they reshuffle the deck for 2023.  While Spencer Torkelson has struggled in his first MLB campaign, the Tigers’ long-term plan is to have Greene and Torkelson as lineup mainstays for years to come.

Meadows has hit .250/.347/.328 over 147 PA this season, and is still looking for his first homer of 2022 after mashing 27 balls out of the park with the Rays last year.  Meadows also spent close to four weeks battling vertigo-related symptoms, and was only activated off the regular injured list on June 7.

Tigers Notes: Rodriguez, Alexander, Cisnero

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  • Tigers manager A.J. Hinch told The Detroit News’ Chris McCosky and other reporters that Tyler Alexander (elbow sprain) could be activated from the 15-day IL as soon as Tuesday, though the team hasn’t yet decided on Alexander’s next step after the southpaw has seemingly completed his rehab work.  Eduardo Rodriguez (ribcage sprain) was tentatively slated to return from his own rehab assignment this week, but that timeline is now up in the air since Rodriguez is away on a personal matter.  Meanwhile, reliever Jose Cisnero (shoulder strain) was about to begin his own rehab assignment but has now been shut down for two weeks due to soreness in his right Achilles tendon.
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