Former Tigers trade deadline acquisition gets designated for assignment by Pirates

Once upon a time, Joey Wentz was a top-10 prospect in the Tigers' system, peaking at No. 8 in 2023. Wentz, a former first-round (Competitive Balance A) pick, was acquired in a 2019 trade with the Braves that sent Shane Greene to Atlanta, after which point Greene's career tanked and the Tigers looked like the clear winners of the deal.

But Wentz never panned out. He had a strong debut season, making seven starts for a 3.03 ERA in 2022, but his year was cut short by injury. He made the Opening Day rotation in 2023 but was half-demoted to the bullpen by the end of the season (the Tigers went back and forth between how to use him) and he came out on the other end with a 6.90 ERA. He was DFA'd last year after putting up a 5.37 ERA out of the bullpen and was picked up off of waivers by the Pirates.

After 19 relief appearances out of Pittsburgh's bullpen this year, it seems that they've seen enough too. He was DFA'd on Saturday after posting a 4.15 ERA in 26 innings with one blown save for the sub-.400 Pirates.

Former Tigers reliever, Braves' first-round draft pick Joey Wentz DFA'd by Pirates

Wentz was cut from the Tigers' roster last year in order to make room for Casey Mize, who was coming back from a long stint on the IL. His numbers improved during August, the start of the Tigers' miracle run to the postseason, but the 5.37 ERA on the season wasn't giong to cut it, and the ascents of Will Vest, Tyler Holton, Beau Brieske, and Co. made Wentz a liability in the Tigers' sneakily dominant bullpen.

He hasn't been back to the minors since 2023, so maybe he just needs to get back down there and reset. He doesn't have enough service time to refuse an outright assignment to Triple-A if he clears waivers, so it seems likely he's headed to Indianapolis.

And you never know; there are teams desperately hurting for relievers who are picking up anyone with even the slightest hint of a good pedigree (looking at you, Dodgers). For the Tigers' part, they're all set. The bullpen is still stacked and doing well covering for a number of injuries to the starting rotation so far, so it's unlikely that we'll see Wentz back in Detroit, even if it's basically for free.