Tigers missed chance to capitalize after Red Sox DFA'd once-promising righty reliever

The Detroit Tigers' bullpen deserves a lot of the credit for the club's thrilling second-half surge and improbable postseason run in 2024, as their one-man starting rotation forced them to rely heavily on openers and bulk relievers to get the job done in between Tarik Skubal's starts.

Still, there is always room to improve, especially for a team like the Tigers looking to build on last season's success and make an even deeper playoff run in the near future. That's where the bullpen can be the difference maker — in the postseason, where the margin for error is razor-thin.

If the Tigers are looking to level up their bullpen staff this offseason, they'll have no shortage of options in free agency. But one particularly intriguing option emerged as a result of Tuesday's Rule 5 protection deadline that was worth exploring.

Tigers couldn't capitalize after Red Sox DFA'd former top prospect Bryan Mata

The Boston Red Sox announced earlier this week that they had designated right-handed pitchers Bryan Mata and Isaiah Campbell for assignment in order to create space on their 40-man roster for the additions of Hunter Dobbins and Jhostynxon Garcia.

Mata in particular was once one of the most highly-touted prospects in the Red Sox's system, though he had yet to crack Boston's Major League roster despite being on the 40-man for four seasons. He underwent Tommy John surgery during the 2021 season, which proved to be a significant setback in his development, as he has not pitched more than 83 innings in a single season since then.

A hamstring injury further hampered Mata's progress in 2024, limiting him to just 22 2/3 innings across four levels of Boston's Minor League system. He has a 3.46 ERA across seven Minor League seasons; though, admittedly, he put up the best numbers of his career before his surgery.

Baseball America had Mata ranked as a top-10 prospect in the Red Sox's system as recently as 2023. If he can stay healthy, his upside is through the roof. Unfortunately, Boston acted quickly and re-signed Mata to a minor-league contract right after the non-tender deadline on Friday, so the Tigers were unable to pounce.

Next time somebody like this hits waivers or free agency, they need to act faster because it's looking more and more unlikely that they will spend in free agency.

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