Tigers add discarded Yankees pitcher on a minor-league deal after recent DFA

Veteran reliever Geoff Hartlieb got his season debut with the Yankees on July 1 and surrendered three runs to the Blue Jays in just one inning, piling onto what was already a no good, very bad day for New York. Max Fried had given up four runs in six innings, Mark Leiter Jr. gave up two, and Luke Weaver gave up another three before the Yankees called on Hartlieb.

He was understandably DFA'd the next day, but went unclaimed on waivers and was returned to the Yankees organization. They called him back up and gave him the ball again on July 8 against the Mariners, when he ended up giving up the only three runs that Seattle managed to score, including Cal Raleigh's 36th homer of the season. He was DFA'd for the second time this season the next day, and left New York with a 40.50 ERA over 1 1/3 innings.

On Sunday night, while the rest of MLB was rather preoccupied with the 2025 draft, the Tigers signed Hartlieb to a minor league deal and sent him to Toledo after he cleared waivers again.

Tigers claim reliever Geoff Hartlieb after 1 1/3 blowup innings with Yankees and DFA

Hartlieb initially signed a minor league deal that including an invitation to spring training with the Yankees in October 2024. He posted a decent 3.34 ERA in 35 innings in Triple-A Scranton, but clearly failed to make a graceful transition back to the majors. Before ending up with the Yankees last year, he'd spent time with the Pirates, Mets, Red Sox (only on a minor league deal), Marlins, and Rockies, but has never pitched more than 35 innings in a major league season — and hasn't pitched more than nine since 2021.

The Tigers have had a lot of delightful success with ex-Yankees this season (though Tommy Kahnle is suffering from getting worked into the ground recently), it seems unlikely that Hartlieb will be one that they can successfully rehabilitate.

He already made his Toledo debut on the same night he signed, pitching 1 1/3 no-hit innings, and he could lend some relief to the burnt out Tigers bullpen after the All-Star break, but he's far from a long-term solution. The Tigers still have a lot of work to do at the trade deadline and are interested in some high-leverage relievers, but we could see Hartlieb in the majors if the Tigers get desperate.