Scott Harris proves old habits die hard with another random Tigers minor league deal

There's no such thing as a bad minor league signing, but turning one into (or back into) a truly productive major league asset is rare.

Scott Harris isn't a guy who likes to take risks, but he loves to hedge small, ultimately harmless bets and loading up Triple-A pitching depth. Enmanuel De Jesus was a minor league signing and non-roster invitee who might just pay off, but we dare you to try to name the last pitcher who did the same.

Chris McCosky of the Detroit News reported on Sunday that yet another will be joining the likes of Phil Bickford and Scott Effross down in Toledo. The Tigers have signed righty Sean Hunley to a minor league deal.

There's no reason Tigers fans should recognize that name. Hunley is 26, taken by the Rays in the 19th round of the 2021 draft, and has yet to make his major league debut. He's been a Ray throughout his entire professional career up until this point, and has spent the last three seasons bouncing between Double- and Triple-A.

The numbers speak for themselves: 3.04 ERA in Double-A Montgomery, 8.63 ERA in Triple-A Durham.

Tigers sign longtime Rays farmhand Sean Hunley to a minor league deal

Something about Triple-A just seems to overwhelm Hunley. In 2024, he was looking great in Double-A through early July, so the Rays promoted him. He needed 22 pitches to get through an inning, gave up a run on two hits, a walk, and a hit batter, and then the Rays sent him right back down.

He opened his 2025 season in Durham, but after posting a 6.46 ERA through late June, he was sent down to Montgomery, where he finished out the year with a 3.00 ERA.

It's a little baffling, but the Tigers love a project. If we know Harris at all (and by this point, we like to think we do), the odds that Hunley gets his big league debut with the Tigers is more likely than not.

But there's still some hope that Detroit's bullpen will enjoy a little more stability this season than they have in years past. They have at least five immovable pieces in Drew Anderson, Kyle Finnegan, Tyler Holton, Will Vest, and Kenley Jansen. And while there'd be nothing wrong with switching out Connor Seabold, De Jesus, or Brant Hurter if they underperform, we still hope a little more thought will go into it those moves than last year, when the Tigers were calling up the dregs of their Triple-A roster out of desperation.

If they do get to that point sometime this season, Hunley seems like a likely candidate. Let's hope it doesn't get to that point.