Cardinals sign former Tigers outfielder (and top prospect) to minor-league contract

Early in November, the Tigers outrighted Bligh Madris, Ryan Vilade, and Bryan Sammons from the 40-man roster in order to activate Sawyer Gipson-Long, Javy Báez, Alex Faedo, and Brendan White from the 60-day IL. Madris was quickly re-signed to a minor league deal, but Vilade and Sammons were sent off onto the open market.

Vilade, the Rockies' No. 4 prospect in 2020, made his major league debut in Colorado in 2021 and went hitless in six at-bats. He didn't make it back to the majors in 2022, and he was claimed off waivers by the Pirates in November of that year. He never saw major league playing time with them, though, and he signed with the Tigers on a minor league deal after electing free agency in 2023.

This year, Vilade went up and down from the majors to Triple-A sporadically, making most of his big league starts in the outfield and one at first base. He'll best be remembered for a botched play in right against the Mariners back in August, which allowed a Seattle walk-off win.

The Tigers have officially parted ways with Vilade; he signed a minor-league deal with the Cardinals on Tuesday, which included an invitation to spring training.

Former Tigers outfielder Ryan Vilade signs minor league deal with Cardinals

All told, Vilade played in 17 games in 2024 and hit .178 with a .452 OPS. He did get his first (and to date, only) major league home run in July against the Dodgers, which actually helped contribute to a 11-9 win over LA in extras.

But there's no question that letting Vilade walk was the only thing the Tigers could do. Through the season, it seemed like he could be joining Akil Baddoo and Ryan Kreidler in the ranks of Detroit's prized Quad-A guys, but even though he hit better than either of them, there was no real incentive for the Tigers to keep him on.

Vilade had a decent year in Triple-A, batting .278 with a .795 OPS, but he's never been able to bridge the minors-to-majors gap with the three organizations he's been a part of. Who knows? Maybe the Cardinals will be able to work some magic there.