AJ Hinch might've tipped Tigers' deadline strategy by hyping up forgotten signing

While it seems like the Tigers are going to accept that they wasted $15 million on Alex Cobb, it's been easier for fans to forget that hybrid pitcher José Urquidy was also an offseason addition who has yet to make his season debut.

He's making a far more acceptable $1 million for one year (with a team option for 2026) and the Tigers signed him knowing that he would start the season on the 60-day IL after undergoing Tommy John last year.

In the meantime, the Tigers bullpen is in decent shape, but they could definitely use another backend, high-leverage reliever who can get some swing and miss. But Scott Harris has said that the Tigers' trade deadline approach will be "pragmatic," which isn't much to get excited about, and AJ Hinch might've alluded to a lack of movement on the reliever market by reminding everyone that Urquidy is, in fact, technically an option.

"I think think people forget that you can add internally," he said, "A guy like José Urquidy...I'm biased, because pitched Game 4 of the World Series for me, so I know what he can bring to the table. That's a potential big boost for us."

AJ Hinch foreshadowed a lack of movement on the reliever market for Tigers at the trade deadline, cited José Urquidy

Urquidy last pitched in the majors in 2023 for the Astros, when he finished with a 5.29 ERA over 63 innings, before he started 2024 on the 60-day IL and underwent Tommy John in June. Houston outrighted him at the end of the year to get him off of the 40-man roster, but he rejected the assignment to become a free agent, and ended up following Hinch to Detroit.

He started, relieved, and closed in his last year with the Astros, which fits perfectly into Hinch's preferred bullpen management strategy. Outside of Will Vest and Tommy Kahnle being the Dodgers' go-to guys in late innings, the rest of the bullpen sort of has to be ready for anything.

In 2023, Urquidy had one of the best changeups in the game, which also factors in well to an incredibly changeup-heavy Tigers bullpen. But he's also never really been a swing-and-miss guy who can absolutely dominate hitters, like David Bednar, Ryan Helsley, or Aroldis Chapman, all of whom could be on the trade block.

So it's not entirely satisfying to hear that the Tigers might prefer to save their money at the trade deadline and not do everything they can to ensure not just a postseason run, but a deep one. Hinch's faith aside, Urquidy will still be a wild card if he even makes it back this season.