Tigers sign former division rival outfielder to minor-league contract

The last time the Tigers made a veteran minor-league signing on a whim, it was 35-year-old Drew Maggi, who waited 13 years to get his major league debut after being a member of six different organizations. The Pirates finally gave him a shot in 2023, and he appeared in three games and picked up his first two major league hits (including an extra base hit) and an RBI. He left for independent ball when the season was over and was signed by the Tigers in late June.

The newest recipient of a Tigers minor league deal, Óscar Mercado, has had somewhat better luck in the majors, but is no less of a journeyman. He was a second-round pick for the Cardinals in 2013, but he had to wait until 2019 to get his debut with the then-Cleveland Indians. He stayed there for three seasons before being DFA'd in June 2022.

He's hopped around the league since then, occasionally resurfacing for short major league stints, but he opted out of a minor-league deal with the Padres on Aug. 1 of this year, and the Tigers scooped him up three weeks later to join the Mud Hens in Toledo.

Tigers sign former Guardians standout Óscar Mercado to a minor league contract

Mercado placed eighth in Rookie of the Year voting in 2019, after batting .269 with a .761 OPS over 115 games. However, he quickly declined in 2020 and hasn't been able to meet the standard he'd set for himself in his rookie year. He batted .197 over 108 games in his second and third years in Cleveland before he was DFA'd.

He's bounced all over the league since then — Philadelphia, Cleveland again, St. Louis again, San Diego, LA, San Diego again, and finally Detroit. He's only appeared in 75 major league games during that time, with the Guardians, Phillies (when he only got one pinch-hit plate appearance), and finally with Cardinals last season.

So Mercado probably won't be making it onto the Tigers' major league roster this year, even when rosters expand to allow 28 players on Sept. 1. However, some veteran depth in Triple-A isn't a bad thing, and if Mercado can perform well enough in the minors, he could cycle out with Akil Baddoo as Detroit's go-to outfield Quad-A guy. Expectations should probably stay low, but he could always surprise us.