Cardinals claim former Tigers pitcher off waivers barely a month after arrival

Emma Lingan

Toronto Blue Jays v Boston Red Sox - Game Two / Paul Rutherford/GettyImages

Bailey Horn, we hardly knew ye.

Just over a month after claiming him off waivers from the Boston Red Sox, the Detroit Tigers designated the left-handed pitcher for assignment and watched him get scooped up by the St. Louis Cardinals. For those of you keeping track at home, that makes St. Louis Horn's third team in just over a month.

Horn, who has also been DFA'd three times in his career, was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the fifth round (No. 142 overall) of the 2020 MLB Draft. He was traded to the Chicago Cubs in 2021, then back to the White Sox in 2024. Chicago designated him for assignment in April, and the Red Sox snagged him off the waiver wire.

The 26-year-old made his Major League debut with the Red Sox in 2024, surrendering 13 runs, 22 hits and 10 walks with 13 strikeouts over 18 innings to the tune of a 6.50 ERA. He had more success with Triple-A Worcester, where he pitched 29 1/3 innings and logged a 2.15 ERA with a 29.2% strikeout rate. The Red Sox attempted to pass Horn through waivers in an effort to clear space on their 40-man roster and reassign him to Worcester, but he was claimed off waivers by the Tigers in November.

Cardinals claim former Tigers pitcher off waivers who lasted less than a month in Detroit

Horn then became a casualty of the Tigers' Gleyber Torres signing in free agency, as he was booted off the 40-man roster to make room for the newly-acquired second baseman on Dec. 27. Now, he will have a chance to begin a new chapter in St. Louis.

After the departure of Horn, the Tigers now have a full 40-man roster that includes three left-handed relief arms in Brant Hurter, Sean Guenther and Tyler Holton. All three were unsung heroes in a bullpen that was one of the Tigers' greatest assets in 2024 as they navigated injuries to a number of starting pitchers en route to their first postseason appearance in a decade.

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Emma Lingan

Emma Lingan is an MLB Staff Writer for FanSided primarily covering the Pittsburgh Pirates. She has been covering baseball for more than a decade dating back to her time as a student at Wake Forest University, and she has won two gold medals as a member of the U.S. National Team delegation (2016 Pan-American Championships & 2017 World Baseball Classic). A native of Washington, D.C. and current resident of Nashville, Tenn., she is also entering her seventh season as a credentialed NHL media member and currently covers the NHL’s Nashville Predators for The Hockey News. When she's not watching hockey, baseball or football, she enjoys podcasting, reading, going to the gym, consuming large amounts of coffee and taking long walks with her dog, Minkah. You can follow her @Emma_lingan on Twitter and Instagram.