Tigers protect 3 players from Rule 5 Draft and DFA 3 others

The deadline to add Rule 5 draft-eligible prospects to the 40-man roster was Tuesday at 6 PM, and the Tigers waited until seemingly the last minute to choose which players they weren't willing to see get stolen in December.

The Tigers had five top 30 prospects vulnerable to the draft: pitcher Joseph Montalvo (No. 16), outfielder Justice Bigbie (No. 21), outfielder Roberto Campos (No. 25), pitcher Lael Lockhart (No. 26) and shortstop Gage Workman (No. 30).

Surprisingly, Detroit chose not to protect any of them. Instead, they added three unranked righty relievers — Chase Lee, Tyler Mattison, and Tyler Owens. Lee, currently in Triple-A, came over along with Montalvo in the Tigers' trade deadline deal that sent Andrew Chafin to the Texas Rangers, and Owens (Double-A) also came from the Rangers in exchange for Carson Kelly. Mattison (also in Double-A) is homegrown, taken by the Tigers in the fourth round of the 2021 draft.

Detroit's 40-man roster was full before the moves, so the Tigers cut three players accordingly: shortstop Eddys Leonard and pitchers Ricky Vanasco and Brendan White were all designated for assignment.

Tigers protect three unranked relievers from the Rule 5 draft, designate three for assignment to clear 40-man space

Montalvo, Bigbie, Campos, Lockhart, and Workman will all go into the Rule 5 draft pool and, thanks to their ranked statuses with the Tigers, do seem at risk to be taken by another team. Lee, Mattison, and Owens all did decent work this season — Mattison was probably the best of them, with a 2.41 ERA through High-A and Double-A this season, and his numbers improved with his promotion — but the Tigers choosing them over more highly ranked prospects is a curious decision.

However, all three could be within reach of the big leagues at some point next season, and the Tigers could be looking to stock up on ready bullpen arms in case they have to return to their pitching chaos strategy at any point in 2025. Considering any player stolen in the Rule 5 Draft must be carried on the stealing team's active roster for a full year, relievers are particularly vulnerable targets. After all, it's easier to hide a bullpen arm on a bad team.

Leonard is also a surprising cut; he was ranked as the Tigers' No. 15 prospect going into this season, but despite his presence on the 40-man roster, he never got his debut. Vanasco came over in a cash trade from the Dodgers and pitched all of two major league innings for the Tigers in September before he was returned to the minor leagues. White pitched over 40 innings for Detroit last season and spent most of his 2024 season on the IL.

Montalvo and Co. may not end up getting taken in the Rule 5 draft, which would be a relief for the Tigers, but they must anticipate good things from Lee, Mattison, and Owens to take them over their more promising prospects.