Chafin agreed to a one-year, $4.25 million contract with the Tigers on Sunday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Pressreports.
The deal includes a $6.5 million club option for 2025 with a $500,000 buyout. Chafin split last season between the Diamondbacks and Brewers, and he posted an underwhelming 4.73 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 63:28 K:BB across 51.1 innings. Milwaukee then declined his $7.25 million club option for 2024. The veteran lefty delivered a 2.83 ERA in 64 outings for Detroit in 2022, and the organization is likely hoping he'll rediscover that form.
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Tigers' Anthony Bemboom: Gets NRI from Tigers
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Bemboom signed a minor-league contract with the Tigers on Friday and received an invitation to major-league spring training, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
Bemboom entered free agency in the offseason after two seasons with Baltimore, where he slashed .127/.225/.206 across 72 total plate appearances. Given Bemboom's poor major-league history, he likely won't offer the Tigers much more than organizational depth behind the dish.
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Tigers' Brenan Hanifee: Back with Tigers on MiLB deal
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Hanifee signed a minor-league contract with the Tigers on Friday and received an invitation to major-league spring training, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
The Tigers non-tendered Hanifee earlier in the offseason, but the team will keep him around on a minor-league pact. Hanifee gave up three runs across five innings in three appearances with the Tigers last season, and he logged a 4.38 ERA through 90.1 frames at Triple-A Toledo.
Vilade signed a minor-league contract with the Tigers on Tuesday.
The 24-year-old Vilade will be moving on the third organization of his career after stints with Colorado and Pittsburgh since entering the professional ranks as a second-round draft pick in 2017. Vilade saw his lone big-league action with the Rockies in 2021 but has played almost exclusively at the Triple-A level over the past two seasons. Over 511 plate appearances with the Pirates' Triple-A affiliate in Indianapolis in 2023, Vilade slashed .270/.370/.382 with six home runs and seven stolen bases.
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Tigers' Garrett Hill: Re-signs with Tigers
Rotowire
The Tigers re-signed Hill to a minor-league contract Sunday.
Hill was non-tendered by Detroit earlier this month but will remain in the organization. It's not clear whether he was given an invitation to the major-league side of spring training as part of the deal. Hill was torched for 20 runs (16 earned) over 15.2 major-league innings in 2023.
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Tigers' Kenta Maeda: Heading to Detroit
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Maeda agreed to a two-year, $24 million contract with the Tigers on Sunday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
Maeda spent the last four years in Minnesota and will remain in the AL Central on a two-year deal with the Tigers. After posting a career-best 2.70 ERA and 0.75 WHIP in 66.2 innings during his first year with the Twins in the COVID-shortened season, the right-hander regressed over the past two years. He recorded a career-worst 4.66 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in 106.1 innings during the 2021 campaign before undergoing Tommy John surgery that forced him to miss the 2022 campaign. He wasn't particularly dominant in his return to the mound last season, logging a 4.23 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in 104.1 innings. However, the Tigers will hope that he can bounce back during his age-36 season in his second year removed from his procedure.
The Tigers selected Dingler to their 40-man roster Tuesday.
Dingler delivered an .839 OPS with 16 home runs and 58 RBI over 89 total major-league games in 2023. The 25-year-old catcher finished out the season with Triple-A Toledo and could make his major-league debut at some point during the 2024 campaign.
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Tigers' Wilmer Flores: Selected to 40-man
Rotowire
The Tigers selected Flores to their 40-man roster Tuesday.
Flores is now protected from selection in next month's Rule 5 Draft, though he's likely still far away from making his major-league debut. The 22-year-old right-hander posted a 4.65 ERA and 90:33 K:BB in 89 innings (21 starts) this past season between High-A West Michigan and Double-A Erie.
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Tigers' Freddy Pacheco: Designated for assignment
Rotowire
Pacheco (elbow) was designated for assignment by the Tigers on Tuesday.
Pacheco underwent Tommy John surgery this past June and is likely to be sidelined through the first half of the 2024 campaign. He no longer holds a spot on the Tigers' 40-man roster.
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Tigers' Brenan Hanifee: Pushed off 40-man roster
Rotowire
Hanifee was designated for assignment by the Tigers on Tuesday.
Hanifee made his major-league debut this past season at age 25, but he gave up three earned runs in five innings of relief and posted a 4.38 ERA across 90.1 innings with Triple-A Toledo. He is now off the 40-man roster in Detroit.
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Tigers' Bligh Madris: Gets minors deal from Detroit
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Madris signed a minor-league contract with the Tigers on Monday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
He'll be in major-league camp during spring training. Madris was a waiver claim by the Tigers two offseasons ago but was traded before playing for them. The 27-year-old has managed just a .500 OPS over 51 games to this point at the major-league level. He'll likely begin 2024 at Triple-A Toledo.
Tigers' Akil Baddoo: Likely to be retained for 2024
Rotowire
Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris indicated Tuesday that Baddoo will be tendered a contract for the 2024 season, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
Baddoo was believed to be a non-tender candidate this winter after slashing just .213/.302/.331 in 582 combined plate appearances between 2022-23, but he is only projected to make around $1.7 million in 2024 -- his first year of arbitration eligibility -- and the Tigers are hopeful that he can recapture his 2021 form. That year, as a rookie, Baddoo put up a .766 OPS with 13 homers and 18 steals across his first 124 major-league games. "He still very much fits in," said Harris. "There is a role for him. We're not an organization that wants to give up players that can affect the game in that way for nothing."
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Tigers' Nick Maton: Recovering from knee surgery
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Maton recently required arthroscopic surgery to address discomfort in his left knee, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.
It was a fairly minor procedure and the current expectation is that Maton will be fully recovered by the start of spring training in February. The 26-year-old batted just .173/.288/.305 across 293 major-league plate appearances with the Tigers in 2023, but he drew 41 starts at third base, 19 starts at second base and even one start at shortstop.
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Tigers' Casey Mize: Nearing normal offseason program
Rotowire
Mize (elbow) threw a bullpen session Tuesday, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.
Mize is scheduled to throw another bullpen session Friday and will then move along to a normal offseason program, assuming all continues to go well. The 26-year-old right-hander missed the entire 2023 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, but he could be a consideration for the Tigers' Opening Day rotation in 2024 if his health cooperates.
