Tigers make another signing and bring back catcher who tried to leave after 2025

The Tigers quietly signed veteran catcher Tomás Nido to a minor league contract in the 2024-2025 offseason, and it actually turned out to be a pretty solid move for the team.

He was called up for a spell for a little over a month at the beginning of the season, when backup catcher Jake Rogers went onto the IL with oblique tightness, and hit .343 with a .704 OPS in 11 games. He struck out a lot, but he was a singles machine.

He had to be DFA'd when Rogers was reinstated from the IL but ended up clearing waivers and returning to the organization.

On Oct. 15, he elected free agency to try to explore opportunities. Per the Tigers' transactions log, he just ended up signing a new minor league deal to stay in Detroit's system next season.

It's generally good news for the Tigers. Their other two Triple-A catchers, Brian Serven and Eduardo Valencia, are basically career farmhands (though Serven had spent a few short stints in the majors), but Nido has a wealth of major league experience behind him and has already shown that he's a decent enough bat in a pinch. It's not the most exciting move ever, but it'll do.

Tigers re-sign backup-backup catcher Tomás Nido to a minor league deal after he elected free agency

Nido spent seven years and some change with the Mets as their backup catcher and moved into a mostly full-time role just once in 2022, when James McCann ended up spending a good chunk of the year on the IL. Nido received a Gold Glove nomination that year for his work behind the plate.

Tigers fans would still take Jake Rogers over Nido, a career .215 hitter, in a heartbeat, but he's a decent enough bat that also still has some of his old stuff defensively. If Rogers or Dillon Dingler sustain any injuries next season (knock on wood), Nido is a fine replacement.

But let's hope that the next Tigers' signing will be a little more exciting. They can't do much (or anything, really) until the World Series ends, so getting their smaller moves out of the way can set the stage for the real impact signings and trades.