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White Sox Sign Erick Fedde

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Feb. 10: The White Sox have officially announced the Fedde signing. It’s a one-year, $1.5MM deal. Left-hander Ky Bush was placed on the 60-day IL to open up a 40-man spot for Fedde. Bush had Tommy John surgery in February 2025.

Feb. 9: The White Sox are bringing Erick Fedde back to the organization on a one-year deal, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The deal is pending a physical. Fedde is represented by the Boras Corporation.

Fedde returns to the organization with which he made his MLB comeback in 2024. The former first-round pick and top prospect struggled through parts of six seasons with the Nationals before signing with the Korea Baseball Organization’s NC Dinos and reinventing himself. He won the KBO’s Cy Young Award equivalent (the Choi Dong-won Award) and was named KBO MVP in 2023. Fedde parlayed that into two years and $15MM with the White Sox, who plugged him right into the rotation.

The early portion of Fedde’s 2024 season could scarcely have gone better. He was Chicago’s best starter and looked every bit like a quality big league arm. In 121 2/3 frames with the South Siders, he turned in a 3.11 earned run average, a 21.5% strikeout rate, a 6.8% walk rate and a 44.7% ground-ball rate. The contract looked like a clear bargain, and the rebuilding White Sox naturally drew plenty of interest in the right-hander ahead of the 2024 trade deadline. Fedde ultimately went to the Cardinals as part of a three-team deal that netted the White Sox current third baseman Miguel Vargas and a pair of prospects while sending utilityman Tommy Edman from St. Louis to the Dodgers.

Fedde pitched decently with the Cardinals down the stretch in ’24. His rate stats slipped a bit, and he gave up a fair bit more hard contact, but his overall 3.72 ERA (4.05 FIP, 4.22 SIERA) in 55 2/3 frames was plenty respectable.

The 2025 season was a nightmare, however. Fedde’s strikeout rate cratered to 14% as his walk rate jumped north of 10%. He was tagged for a 5.22 ERA in 101 2/3 innings (20 starts) before being cut loose by the Cardinals. Subsequent deals with the Braves and Brewers didn’t bring about much more success. By the time the season was over, Fedde had a 5.49 ERA in 141 frames. He hadn’t lost any velocity off his heater, but Fedde’s command was clearly nowhere near as sharp as it was in 2024 — particularly in his early run with the White Sox.

Now back with Chicago, Fedde seems like he’ll have a chance to step into the rotation once again. The fifth spot behind Shane Smith, Sean Burke, Davis Martin and Anthony Kay seems up for grabs, with Fedde and fellow free agent pickup Sean Newcomb standing as the presumptive front-runners after signing major league deals this winter. Whichever of the two doesn’t grab the spot could open a swingman role, although there’s enough inexperience in the rotation — to say nothing for the inherent potential for injury faced by all teams — that it’s possible both Fedde and Newcomb will be starting games early in the season.

Braves Sign Jonah Heim

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3:59 pm: The Braves have officially announced the deal. As expected, Heim will take the vacated roster spot opened up after Spencer Schwellenbach hit the 60-day IL. Heim’s deal is for $1.5MM, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

9:11 am: Veteran catcher Jonah Heim is at Braves camp this morning, per MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. The team hasn’t formally announced a deal, but MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo reports that the two parties are in agreement on a one-year, major league contract. Heim is represented by the Beverly Hills Sports Council.

Heim, 31 in June, was a key factor in the Rangers’ World Series victory during the 2023 season, breaking out with a .258/.317/.438 batting line (107 wRC+) and swatting 18 home runs. He coupled that better-than-average offense — particularly relative to his position — with top-of-the-scale defensive grades; Heim nabbed 29.3% of the runners who attempted to swipe a base against him (well above that season’s average 20.6%), was solid in terms of blocking balls in the dirt, and was the fourth-best catcher in the sport in terms of pitch framing, per Statcast.

Given that the league-average catcher tends to be about 10-12% worse than the league-average hitter at the plate, having a plus defender behind the dish with 15- to 20-homer pop and better-than-average rate stats is immensely valuable. Heim rated as a plus defender in both 2021 and 2022, and his offensive improvements in ’23 looked to have thrust himself into the conversation for one of the most valuable all-around catchers in the game.

Instead, all aspects of his skill set have taken a step back in the two seasons since. He’s drawn league-average framing grades since 2023 and seen his throwing drop off considerably, with just a 13.7% caught-stealing rate in 2024-25. His pop time behind the plate has crept north of two seconds, and his average velocity on throws to second base dipped from 81.1 mph in ’23 to 79.5 mph in ’25.

Heim’s offensive decline has been even more glaring. He’s taken 924 plate appearances since that standout 2023 campaign but turned in an awful .217/.269/.334 batting line that checks in about 29% worse than league-average, by measure of wRC+. His strikeout rate hasn’t changed much at all, but he’s lost a couple percentage points off his walk rate and seen declines in terms of average exit velocity, barrel rate and hard-hit rate. He’s also seen his line-drive rate fall a couple percentage points while his grounder rate and infield fly rate have crept north.

None of the changes in those key offensive rate stats are particularly large on their own, but a couple ticks in the wrong direction for that many rate stats has a significant cumulative effect. That’s especially true for a player who was only a bit above average with the bat in the first place. The Rangers, looking to scale back payroll, non-tendered Heim in November after failing to find a trade partner willing to take him on at his expected arbitration price. (MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected a $6MM salary for the 2026 season.)

Heim now joins a Braves club looking for a short-term backup to reigning NL Rookie of the Year Drake Baldwin. Baldwin and veteran Sean Murphy looked locked in as Atlanta’s catching tandem last summer — until Murphy required surgery to repair a torn labrum in his hip. A timetable for his return remains a bit murky. Bowman suggests that Murphy is hoping to be ready at some point in May, though it’s not clear whether that’s early in the month or closer to Memorial Day weekend. The team figures to provide one in the near future with pitchers and catchers reporting to camp this week (today, in the Braves’ case).

Baldwin and Murphy are the only catchers on Atlanta’s 40-man roster at the moment. With Murphy expected to be sidelined to begin the season, backup options for Baldwin have included non-roster invitees Chadwick Tromp, Sandy Leon and Jair Camargo. Heim adds a higher-upside option and, after signing a big league deal, is the immediate front-runner for the backup job to Baldwin.

Heim has more than five years of major league service time, so once Murphy is ready for activation, Heim cannot be optioned without his consent. Those five years of MLB service also are enough that he can reject an outright assignment to Triple-A Gwinnett and retain any remaining guaranteed money on his contract.

Astros Continue To Seek Left-Handed Outfielder In Paredes Talks

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Astros pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training tomorrow. The team’s roster remains jumbled as camp is soon to get underway. They’re still heavily right-handed and have an arguable surplus of infielders with an unimposing outfield mix.

Trading an infielder, especially Isaac Paredes, has been the most speculated avenue to balancing the roster. General manager Dana Brown has repeatedly said the Astros aren’t motivated to do so. Brown has pointed to the impact that Paredes had on Houston’s lineup before he suffered a significant hamstring strain midway through his first season with the club. The Astros are only a year removed from acquiring him as an instrumental piece in their return for Kyle Tucker, feeling that his pull-heavy approach from the right side would play well with the short left field at Houston’s Daikin Park. That proved to be the case, as Paredes hit 20 homers with a .254/.352/.458 slash in 102 games.

Even as team personnel have struck a public tone that they’re happy with their infield depth, it seems they’ve been more on board with the trade route behind the scenes. Chandler Rome of The Athletic reported last week that the Astros were discussing Paredes with upwards of five teams, including the Pirates and Red Sox. Rome wrote in a column at The Athletic this morning that they’ve intensified efforts to find a match on the trade front. Houston continues to pursue a left-handed hitting outfielder as part of any potential return, Rome adds.

A handful of recent moves could make that less likely. They reportedly kicked around a three-team framework that would have involved acquiring Brendan Donovan from St. Louis. That didn’t come to fruition and he’s now a Mariner. The Red Sox have signed Isiah Kiner-Falefa and traded for Caleb Durbin from the Brewers, which seemingly fills out their infield. Pittsburgh signed Marcell Ozuna to a $12MM free agent contract to add a right-handed power bat. They’re still looking to upgrade over Jared Triolo at third base, but it’s unclear if they’re interested in accommodating Paredes’ $9.35MM salary.

Speculatively, the Brewers may be the best on-paper fit after the Durbin trade. Milwaukee isn’t likely to part with Sal Frelick, but center fielder Garrett Mitchell or corner bat Tyler Black are left-handed hitters who could play the outfield in Houston. The Twins have an uncertain corner infield mix and some expendable lefty outfield bats (e.g. Matt Wallner, Trevor Larnach). The Guardians have a heavily left-handed first base and outfield mix and desperately need a right-handed power bat. They could offer someone like George Valera if they’re willing to reinvest any of the money they saved by restructuring José Ramírez’s contract into the 2026 payroll.

The Padres are looking for another corner infielder and could certainly use Paredes at first base, though they don’t have any lefty-hitting outfielders of significance to offer. (Jackson Merrill obviously isn’t getting traded.) That’d also be a drawback in talks with Pittsburgh even if they’re willing to take on the money. The Astros aren’t taking the Bryan Reynolds contract. Pittsburgh probably wouldn’t view Paredes as enough of an upgrade over Spencer Horwitz to relinquish five years of control on Horwitz even if the Astros felt he could play a reasonable left field. There’s always the possibility of looping in a third team to try to balance value, but the direct trade scenarios involving Paredes are tougher to align than they were a week or two ago.

Trading Paredes would create some payroll flexibility for a Houston team that is right up against a $244MM luxury tax line that ownership seemingly doesn’t want to cross. If they don’t find a trade partner (or anyone willing to pick up a notable portion of the Christian Walker contract in a salary dump), he’d project as a multi-positional infielder behind Walker, Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa. Yordan Alvarez will get the majority of the at-bats at designated hitter.

Juan Soto Moving To Left Field

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Mets outfielder Juan Soto will have a new position this season. President of baseball operations David Stearns announced that Soto will move to left field, according to multiple reports. He was New York’s primary right fielder in 2025. The 27-year-old is entering the second year of the $765MM mega deal he signed with the club.

Stearns mentioned comfort as being a factor in the decision. Soto will also be playing left field for Team Dominican Republic in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. He’s logged more than 4,000 innings at the position as a big leaguer.

The switch means the Mets’ outfield will look completely different in 2026. Soto will slide over to the void left by longtime left fielder Brandon Nimmo, who was traded to the Rangers. Trade acquisition Luis Robert Jr. will take over in center field. Tyrone Taylor took the majority of reps there last year, followed by trade deadline addition Cedric Mullins. Taylor may be headed back to a fourth outfielder role. Mullins signed with the Rays. Part-time outfielder Jeff McNeil is now an Athletic, while Starling Marte is a free agent.

Soto is no stranger to left field. He debuted at the position with Washington in 2018 and held down the spot through the shortened 2020 season. Soto moved to right field in 2021 after the club signed Kyle Schwarber. He remained there in 2022, which was split between the Nationals and the Padres. San Diego slotted Soto in left field the following season. He’s been back in right field the past two years while playing for both New York teams.

The defensive grades for Soto have typically been underwhelming. He’s at -14 Defensive Runs Saved for his career in left field. In the opposite corner, he’s been at -5 DSR. Soto has two productive defensive seasons on the ledger, one apiece at each spot. He was credited with +3 DSR and +5 Outs Above Average in 2019 as a left fielder. In 2021, it was a +6 DSR and a +4 OAA in right field. Soto finished second in NL MVP voting that year.

Soto ranked in the first percentile in OAA (-15) and arm value (-5) last season. He spent 1,374 innings in right field. His -7 DSR was his worst performance since the 2020 campaign. Soto’s -13 Fielding Run Value was tied with Jo Adell for the second-lowest mark among qualified defenders, ahead of only Edgar Quero.

Shifting Soto to left field doesn’t seem to be a hint regarding the right field job. Taylor has been a plus defender at all three spots. Recent signee MJ Melendez has put in solid work at both corners. Top prospect Carson Benge has spent time at each outfield position during his time in the minors, but he’s primarily been a center fielder.

Jorge Castillo of ESPN was among the reporters to relay Stearns’ comments about the position switch. Joel Sherman of the New York Post mentioned the details about Soto playing left field in the WBC and being comfortable there.

Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro, Imagn Images

Mariners Sign Connor Joe, Jhonathan Díaz To Minor League Deals

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The Mariners announced Tuesday that they’ve signed first baseman/outfielder Connor Joe and left-hander Jhonathan Díaz to minor league deals. Both players receive invitations to major league spring training. Díaz was outrighted by Seattle last week and briefly elected free agency but will return on a new minor league pact.

Joe, 33, briefly appeared with both the Padres and Reds last season but only totaled 42 plate appearances in the majors. He didn’t hit well in that time but from 2021-24 logged a respectable .244/.339/.395 batting line (99 wRC+) with 35 homers, 82 doubles, nine triples, an 11.2% walk rate and a 21.6% strikeout rate in 1566 plate appearances between Colorado and Pittsburgh. He spent most of last year in Triple-A, where he posted a disappointing .225/.346/.306 slash in 205 trips to the plate.

In 645 career plate appearances against lefties, the right-handed-hitting Joe is a .247/.344/.401 hitter, just a bit north of league-average by measure of wRC+. He’s logged 874 innings in right field, 944 innings in left field and 1089 innings at first base, with solid grades at first and in left field. Seattle already signed Rob Refsnyder to pair with lefty-swinging DH/corner outfielder Dominic Canzone, but Joe provides some depth in the event of an injury to Refsnyder.

The 29-year-old Díaz has pitched briefly in parts of five major league seasons but only has 46 1/3 MLB frames under his belt. He’s worked to a 4.66 ERA in that small sample, fanning 33 of 219 opponents (15.1%) against 27 walks (12.3%). He’s been a solid member of the Mariners’ Triple-A rotation in each of the past two seasons, starting at least 22 games in both seasons and keeping his ERA in the low 4.00s.

Díaz isn’t likely to crack Seattle’s Opening Day roster, but he’s a serviceable depth arm to have down in Tacoma and could be in line for additional opportunities in 2026 after right-hander Logan Evans underwent UCL surgery recently. Evans was likely Triple-A-bound himself but was sixth on Seattle’s rotation depth chart behind the quintet of Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo, George Kirby, Luis Castillo and Bryce Miller. Right-hander Emerson Hancock is probably the first man up in the event of an injury now, but Díaz joins him, Casey Lawrence and fellow non-roster invitee Dane Dunning in that conversation.

Tigers, Austin Slater Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Tigers are in agreement with outfielder Austin Slater on a minor league contract that includes an invite to MLB Spring Training. The Ballengee Group client would reportedly earn a $2MM base salary if he makes the team and could collect another $500K in performance bonuses.

Slater is a right-handed bat who’ll compete for a fourth outfield role. The 33-year-old is coming off a rough season in which he hit .216/.270/.372 over 65 games between the White Sox and Yankees. The numbers were probably weighed down by injury, as he suffered an early-season meniscus tear in his right knee and missed a month after the trade deadline because of a left hamstring strain.

For most of his career, Slater has been a solid complementary piece who does his best work as a short-side platoon bat. He had four straight seasons of above-average offense on a rate basis as a member of the Giants between 2020-23. That’s in large part because San Francisco was aggressive in playing matchups and got Slater so many looks versus lefty pitching. He’s a career .267/.357/.430 hitter in more than 1000 plate appearances against southpaws. His .227/.311/.329 slash in 836 trips to the dish without the platoon advantage is a lot less imposing.

Detroit is also one of the more platoon-heavy teams in MLB under A.J. Hinch. The top of their outfield/designated hitter mix skews left-handed. Kerry Carpenter will get the majority of the DH work with some time in right field. Riley Greene is the left fielder, while Parker Meadows projects as the primary center fielder.

Slater is no more than an emergency option in center but should be a capable defender in the corners if called upon. Jahmai Jones, Matt Vierling and the switch-hitting Wenceel Pérez — who has been better from the right side of the plate — are all platoon possibilities off the bench. Vierling was banged up for most of last season, while Pérez had a terrible September that marked a sour finish to what had been shaping up as a potential breakout.

As a player with six years of service time who finished last season on New York’s major league roster, Slater hit the market as an Article XX(b) free agent. That means this deal comes with a trio of automatic opt-out dates under the collective bargaining agreement. He can trigger an out clause on any of March 21, May 1, or June 1. If he does, the Tigers would have two days to either promote him or grant him his release.

Jon Heyman of The New York Post first reported the Tigers had an agreement with Slater. Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reported it was an NRI. Robert Murray of FanSided had the financials.

Cardinals, Nationals Swap George Soriano, Andre Granillo

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The Nationals and Cardinals announced a one-for-one swap of righty relievers. St. Louis acquires George Soriano while Washington picks up Andre Granillo. Washington placed starter Trevor Williams on the 60-day injured list in a corresponding move. The Nationals had designated Soriano for assignment last week when they claimed lefty Ken Waldichuk off waivers, so they needed to open a 40-man spot for Granillo.

Soriano will hopefully find some certainty after a hectic offseason. This is the fourth time he has changed organizations since November. The 26-year-old had spent his entire career with the Marlins until they placed him on waivers at the beginning of the offseason. He landed with Baltimore, Atlanta and Washington via successive waiver claims and designations.

A veteran of parts of three seasons, Soriano has an earned run average just under 6.00 over 118 big league innings. He has a league average 22% strikeout rate against a moderately concerning 10.3% walk percentage. The biggest issue is that he has been very homer-prone, surrendering 1.75 longballs per nine innings. Soriano works in the 95-96 mph range with his sinker and four-seam fastball while using a slider and changeup fairly frequently. He’s out of minor league options and either needs to break camp or be sent back into DFA limbo.

It’s a good sign for Soriano’s chances of sticking on a roster that St. Louis parted with an MLB reliever to jump the waiver order. Granillo, 25, is a former 14th-round draft choice who was called up for the first time last June. He was up and down from Triple-A Memphis for the rest of the season. Granillo got into 14 MLB games, posting a 4.71 ERA through his first 21 innings. He has posted high strikeout and walk rates throughout his minor league career but had more of a pitch-to-contact approach in his limited big league work.

Granillo leans most heavily on his slider while sitting 94-95 with the fastball. He sporadically mixes a changeup but is mostly a two-pitch reliever. He’s coming off an excellent season at Triple-A Memphis, where he turned in a 1.29 ERA with a 36% strikeout rate and a career-low 8.7% walk percentage across 42 innings. He still has a pair of minor league options remaining.

It’s surprising that the Cardinals parted with Granillo for a pitcher who was waived three times in an offseason. They’re evidently not bullish on Granillo’s chances of translating his Triple-A production into success at the highest level. It’s also worth noting that they never had an opportunity to grab Soriano off waivers. Offseason waiver priority is in inverse order of last season’s record, and St. Louis had a higher win percentage than each of Baltimore, Atlanta, or Washington did. The Cardinals and Nats each have plenty of opportunities in a wide open bullpen.

Williams’ IL move is a formality. He underwent an internal brace surgery to repair the UCL in his elbow last July. That’s a year-long recovery process. He’ll aim for a return sometime after the All-Star Break.

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported the trade shortly before the announcements.

Tyler Stephenson Wins Arbitration Hearing

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Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson won his arbitration hearing against the team, reports Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer. He’ll earn the $6.8MM figure submitted by his reps at ACES rather than the $6.55MM figure submitted by the team. Stephenson is heading into his final season of club control and will be a free agent next winter.

Stephenson pulls in a 38.1% raise on last year’s $4.925MM salary on the heels of a season in which he slashed .231/.316/.421 with 13 homers and 18 doubles in 342 plate appearances. A broken left thumb and an oblique strain limited him to just 88 games in 2025, but he had another generally productive stretch while healthy. Since debuting in 2019, Stephenson has taken just shy of 2000 plate appearances and logged a combined .261/.338/.426 slash with 63 homers and 94 doubles.

Last year’s 33.9% strikeout rate was a career-worst by a wide margin, but his career-high 10.8% walk rate at least helped to mitigate that uptick in punchouts a bit. He actually chased balls off the plate less than the average hitter, but Stephenson’s contact rate on those chases was just 49.4% — well shy off the 55.6% league average. His contact rate on balls within the zone dropped by a concerning six percentage points.

Some of that could be due to his broken thumb, of course. Hand injuries can linger and impact a player’s swing even after he’s cleared to return to action, and it’s worth noting that Stephenson’s bat speed dropped by nearly a mile per hour over the prior season. It’s not unreasonable to think that with better health, he could regain some of that contact. Either way, his quality of contact remained strong; Stephenson averaged 90.5 mph off the bat with an excellent 49.2% hard-hit rate and an even better 14.4% barrel rate.

Heading into the 2026 season, Stephenson will again be the Reds’ primary catcher, teaming with defensive-minded Jose Trevino to handle the majority of Cincinnati’s catching duties. He could also mix in at first base and designated hitter. A healthy platform season should put Stephenson in line for a nice multi-year deal as he heads to the open market ahead of his age-30 campaign next winter.

Following Stephenson’s victory, players have gone 6-1 against teams in this offseason’s slate of arbitration hearings.

Francisco Lindor Could Need Surgery For Hamate Injury

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Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor is being evaluated for a hamate bone injury, per president of baseball operations David Stearns. The five-time All-Star would face a six-week absence if the injury requires surgery. Steans told reporters, including Jorge Castillo of ESPN, that he’s confident Lindor would be back for the beginning of the season even if he has surgery.

Lindor underwent a debridement procedure on his right elbow early in the offseason. Insurance coverage issues related to the injury kept the Team Puerto Rico captain out of the 2026 World Baseball Classic. The announcement from Stearns is the first mention of the hamate injury. Lindor is set to be examined to determine the next steps. The Mets open the season against the Pirates on March 26.

The 32-year-old Lindor missed a month with an oblique strain in the middle of his first season with the Mets in 2021. Since then, he’s been the picture of health. Lindor has played in at least 152 games in four straight seasons. He’s piled up 680+ plate appearances each year in that stretch, including a league-leading 732 this past year. Lindor hasn’t been on the IL since the 2021 oblique issue.

The six-week timeframe would leave little breathing room for Lindor to recover in time for Opening Day, if he were to undergo surgery. The shortstop has been dealing with the stress reaction in his hamate bone over the past few days, Stearns said (relayed by Anthony Dicomo of MLB.com). Hamate bone issues have a history of sapping power from hitters. Lindor has been a 30-homer hitter for three straight years.

The Mets have a handful of in-house options available to replace Lindor if he misses any time. Free agent acquisition Bo Bichette was ticketed for third base, but could move back to his natural position of shortstop. Bichette’s declining skills at the position narrowed his list of suitors and led to him landing with a team that didn’t need him up the middle, but he could survive at short until Lindor ramped back up.

Ronny Mauricio spent the majority of his minor league career at shortstop. He’s been mostly a third baseman in the big leagues, though that’s mostly due to Lindor’s stranglehold on shortstop. Vidal Bruján is the only other player with recent shortstop experience on the 40-man roster.

Losing Lindor’s bat for any amount of time would be significant for an offense that will look quite different in 2026. Mainstays Brandon Nimmo and Pete Alonso have departed, along with midseason acquisition Cedric Mullins. Marcus Semien, Jorge Polanco, and Luis Robert Jr. are now in the mix, along with Bichette.

Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro, Imagn Images

Tigers Sign Justin Verlander

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It’s homecoming season in Detroit. After years of Tigers fans hoping for a reunion with future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander, the team announced Tuesday that Verlander has been signed to a one-year contract for the 2026 season. The ISE client is guaranteed $13MM, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, though $11MM of that sum will be deferred and paid out beginning in 2030.

Though he’ll turn 43 later this month, Verlander has voiced no desire to call it quits. Rather, he’s previously said he hopes to pitch well into his mid 40s. He’s coming off a solid season at age 42 — one that started slowly but by the end saw Verlander again pitching like a high-quality big league starter. The right-hander pitched 152 innings for the Giants last season, logging a 3.85 ERA, a 20.7% strikeout rate, a 7.9% walk rate and a 34.5% ground-ball rate.

Those are solid overall numbers but mask the strength of Verlander’s finish. Over his final 13 trips to the mound, he totaled 72 2/3 innings with a terrific 2.60 ERA, a 22.8% strikeout rate and a 7.8% walk rate. Verlander limited hard contact better than the average pitcher, checked in with a 93.9 mph average on his four-seamer and turned in an 11% swinging-strike rate that was an exact match for the league average. He only picked up four wins during his time as a Giant, hindering his quest to chase down the 300-victory milestone, but that was due more to poor run support and shaky bullpen work behind him than anything Verlander specifically did.

Verlander returns to what now looks like a stacked Detroit rotation. He’ll reunite with former Astros teammate Framber Valdez, who agreed to a three-year, $115MM contract with Detroit just last week. That pair will join ace Tarik Skubal as he looks to join Verlander as a three-time Cy Young winner. The rotation will be rounded out by right-handers Jack Flaherty and Casey Mize,

A healthy Reese Olson would be among Detroit’s top five starters, even with Verlander in tow, but Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press suggested last week that the 26-year-old righty may not be ready for Opening Day. Olson made only 13 starts last season due to a shoulder strain that apparently is still an issue. There’s no indication he’s looking at a significant absence, but the addition of Verlander provides some depth and pushes Olson into a vastly overqualified sixth starter/depth role.

In all likelihood, there’ll be plenty of starts to go around for Olson and other rotation candidates, including promising righty Troy Melton. Injuries are inevitable for any team, so there probably won’t be too many stretches of the season where all six of Skubal, Valdez, Verlander, Mize, Flaherty and Olson are all at full strength. Top prospect Jackson Jobe could factor into the mix late in the season as well, but he’ll miss the majority of the year after undergoing Tommy John surgery last summer. Even still, simply having someone of Verlander’s stature around to watch and learn from during spring training is an opportunity that Jobe (and other young arms in Tigers camp) will undoubtedly relish.

Whether coincidence or otherwise, Verlander’s $13MM guarantee matches the $13MM gap the Tigers faced in last week’s arbitration hearing with Skubal. The reigning AL Cy Young winner won that hearing. Perhaps the Tigers wouldn’t have gone quite so deferral-heavy on the contract had the arbitration panel ruled in favor of the team, but that’s a moot point. Either way, Verlander is back with the team that originally drafted him with No. 2 overall pick out of Old Dominion back in 2004, and he’ll continue his longshot quest to become MLB’s 25th 300-game winner.

Verlander currently sits at 266 wins in his illustrious career, tied with Hall of Famers Bob Feller and Eppa Rixey for 37th-most in the game’s history. He’ll probably need three more seasons to have a chance at reaching the 300 mark, but he’s previously said he hopes to pitch until he is at least 45. Based on last year’s strong finish and his overall rate stats, he still has something left in the tank as he works toward that lofty goal.

The late additions of Valdez and Verlander will thrust the Tigers into luxury tax territory for the first time. RosterResource’s estimates currently have Detroit about $12MM over the $244MM threshold. That means they’ll pay a 20% tax on the net-present value of Verlander’s deal. It’s more than the Tigers have ever spent. Those late moves have positioned the Tigers as a clear front-runner in an AL Central that’s been characterized primarily by inertia this offseason. They took their time, but the Tigers have made it emphatically clear that their sights are set on winning the Central and pushing for a World Series win in Skubal’s final season before free agency.

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