Tigers bring back slew of pitching depth options in minor league signing spree

Although major league free agency doesn't begin until the day after the World Series ends, a certain amount of minor league moves can be made. Minor leaguers with at least six years of service time can be test minor league free agency five days after the World Series ends, but their current team can also re-sign them to new deals ahead of that date.

The Tigers brought back four players under those provisions: catcher Carlos Pérez and pitchers Wandisson Charles, Marco Jimenez, and Moisés Rodriguez.

Pérez joined the team in late July to replenish their catching depth after releasing Tómas Nido. Pérez has played in 278 major league games since 2015 for the Angels, Braves, Rangers, and Athletics, but has not appeared in the bigs since 2023.

Charles is also a new addition, having signed a minor league contract with Detroit in December after being released by the Orioles organization in August 2024 and spending the rest of that year and all of 2025 in the Dominican and Mexican Leagues.

Jimenez and Rodriguez have been with the Tigers since 2016 and 2019, respectively. None of the pitchers have major league experience.

Tigers re-sign catcher Carlos Pérez, three pitchers to minor league deals

Charles, Jimenez, and Rodriguez all finished their seasons in Double-A Erie. Charles posted a 4.10 ERA in 63 2/3 innings, Jimenez a 10.57 ERA in 7 2/3 innings, and Rodriguez a 2.74 ERA in 42 2/3 innings.

Overall, Rodriguez looks like the most promising talent here. After struggling from 2021-2024, mostly in Rookie ball, he came back to Single-A Lakeland in 2025 and posted a 3.53 ERA in over 43 innings, which earned him his first promotion to High-A West Michigan, where he posted a 1.35 ERA. It earned him a promotion to Double-A by the beginning of the 2026 season.

Pérez hit extraordinarily well in 12 games for the Mud Hens: .351 with a 1.413 OPS, though he missed over a month on the injured list. He's always been a solid minor league hitter, with a career .276/.351/.503 line at Triple-A, but his .218 average and .592 OPS at the major league level hasn't made it possible for him to stick.

Tigers fans shouldn't expect to see Pérez in the majors unless there's a dire emergency for Dillon Dingler or Eduardo Valencia, but his knowledge should be useful to top prospect Josue Briceño, currently his teammate in Toledo.

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