Detroit Tigers likely to snub former first-rounder from Opening Day roster

Spring Training is winding down, and Opening Day is upon us. The Detroit Tigers have continued to make roster trims and cuts, bringing their roster down. They're closing in on their active roster with two more bullpen spots to be awarded amongst a quartet of relievers.

The Detroit Tigers have a couple of former prospects in the mix to earn relief roles with the Tigers. One of the players who may get snubbed from the roster is a former first-rounder who was also a top prospect on his rise to the big leagues. Alex Faedo has options remaining and is unlikely to earn one of the remaining bullpen spots.

He's more likely to become a casualty of avoiding waivers. Miguel Diaz and Joey Wentz do not have options remaining, meaning they would have to pass through waivers and be offered to the rest of the league before being sent down to Triple-A. For Detroit, Faedo and Beau Brieske could find themselves heading down to Triple-A to start the year.

Faedo's a former 18th overall pick after an exceptional career with the Florida Gators. His road to the big leagues has not been the smoothest, but it seems like he's heading back to the minors to start 2024. With two spots left and four players fighting for those bullpen spots, something's going to have to give -- unfortunately, it seems unlikely to be Faedo.

Detroit Tigers likely to option former first-rounder Alex Faedo.

Faedo's 28 years old and has already made his big league debut. He's pitched in 27 games with 24 starts over his career, pitching in each of the last two seasons. He's amassed 118.1 innings pitched, managing a 4.49 ERA with a 1.32 WHIP. He's walked 20 and added 58 punchouts in his time with the Tigers.

While the majority of his chances with the Tigers have come as a starter, it seems as if his career with the Tigers will be as a relief pitcher. But since he is one of the players who has options left, he will likely be sent back to the minors to marinate some more.

The thing that sucks about this unfortunate reality is that Faedo has had an exceptional Spring Training performance. He's been great for the Tigers this spring and really had some success. Faedo has pitched in seven games, totaling 13.1 innings of work, with a 1.35 ERA and a 0.83 WHIP. He's walked just two and struck out 17 opposing hitters along the way.

It's been an excellent spring for him, and his spirits are seemingly high as he has stayed alive in their roster cut process. But the unfortunate reality is that he's likely to end up back in Triple-A to avoid losing anyone to the waiver process.

Frankly, it's hard to believe that the Tigers would rather dump Faedo back to the minors instead of hanging onto Miguel Diaz. He's someone who could pass through waivers in my eyes, and Faedo's spring has been great -- give him a chance.