Tigers officially lose reliever to Braves after brutal tenure in Detroit

After being released by the Detroit Tigers, veteran reliever John Brebbia has officially found a new (old) home with the Atlanta Braves.

The Braves, who briefly carried Brebbia on their roster for part of last season before he signed with the Tigers in the offseason, signed the 35-year-old to a minor league deal on Tuesday. He has been assigned to Triple-A Gwinnett, where he will be stashed as non-roster bullpen depth.

The Tigers officially released Brebbia last week after signing him in the offseason to a one-year deal with a $2.75 million guarantee. The contract included a $2.25 million salary in 2025 and a $4 million club option for 2026, with a $500,000 buyout.

The signing initially appeared to be a success, as Brebbia pitched to a 1.00 ERA with nine strikeouts in his first nine innings of work with Detroit. He suffered a right triceps strain at the end of April, however, and allowed 16 runs on 19 hits in 9 2/3 innings after his reinstatement from the injured list on May 11.

Tigers officially lose John Brebbia to Braves after brutal tenure in Detroit

All told, Brebbia pitched 18 2/3 innings for the Tigers with a 7.71 ERA. He now ends up back in the Braves organization in the same manner than he did last year, when he was released by the Chicago White Sox – yes, the worst team in baseball – in August after posting a 6.29 ERA before being snatched up by Atlanta for the remainder of the season.

In his first stint with the Braves, Brebbia pitched to a respectable 2.70 ERA over an admittedly small sample size of 6 2/3 innings. He proceeded to sign with Detroit during the 2024-25 offseason, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Ultimately, Brebbia became a liability for a Tigers team with very real aspirations of winning the American League Central division and even contending for a World Series title. Cutting ties with an unreliable bullpen option was the right choice – the only choice – for Detroit to make.

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