The Detroit Tigers made a move to bolster their minor league pitching depth Thursday, acquiring left-hander Bailey Horn from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for cash considerations.
Horn, who lost his spot on the Cardinals' 40-man roster earlier in the day when they signed right-hander Phil Maton, fills the remaining spot on the Tigers' 40-man roster that was left vacant when José Urquidy was moved to the 60-day injured list. The Tigers have already optioned Horn to Triple-A Toledo, where he is set to open the 2025 season.
If Horn's name sounds familiar, it's because he's already been on the Tigers' roster once this offseason. Detroit claimed him off waivers from the Boston Red Sox in November, and he remained on the Tigers' roster for about a month until they signed Gleyber Torres in free agency. The Cardinals claimed Horn off waivers from the Tigers in December, but Detroit quickly offered up some cash to get him back after St. Louis designated him for assignment Thursday morning.
Tigers acquire pitching depth in trade with Cardinals to fill 40-man roster
Horn, 27, made his major league debut with Boston last season and pitched to an underwhelming 6.50 ERA while registering 13 strikeouts over 18 innings. His spring performance with St. Louis was even worse, amounting to a 15.43 ERA, five walks and just one punchout over 2 1/3 innings of Grapefruit League play.
Given that he has already been optioned to Triple-A Toledo, Horn is purely a depth add for the Tigers. As it stands, Tyler Holton is the only southpaw in their big league bullpen, though Andrew Chafin — who signed a minor league contract with the club — could be another if he breaks camp with the team.
Originally selected by the Chicago White Sox in the fifth round of the 2020 MLB Draft, Horn has a career ERA of 4.26 in 129 minor league appearances with 271 strikeouts in 213 1/3 innings pitched. He still has options remaining, so if he can work on reining in his control in Toledo, the Tigers may shuttle him back and forth between the majors and the minors as needed (if he sticks around this time, that is).