Tigers quietly add former division rival top prospect in classic Scott Harris move

Konnor Pilkington might not be the kind of name that dominates the MLB news cycle in February, but his arrival at Tigers camp feels very on-brand for Detroit’s front office.

According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Tigers are adding the 28-year-old left-hander on a minor league deal with an invitation to big-league spring training. Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports the contract would pay Pilkington $1.2 million if he cracks the major league roster.

Pilkington was drafted in the third round by the Chicago White Sox in 2018 and broke into the majors with the Cleveland Guardians in 2022, making 15 appearances (11 starts) and posting an ERA under 4.00. The peripherals (xFIP and SIERA) suggested a regression was coming, but Cleveland clearly saw enough to give him a real look as a starter.

After bouncing to the Arizona Diamondbacks, where he didn't play a single game in the majors, Pilkington resurfaced with the Washington Nationals in 2025 as a full-time reliever. In 28 1/3 innings, he logged a 4.45 ERA over 32 appearances — hardly eye-popping — but there were signs of real development beneath the surface.

Notably, Pilkington logged a career-best 27.6% strikeout rate with Washington in 2025. His fastball also ticked up more than 2 mph in relief, and his slider generated an elite 46.3% whiff rate. That’s the kind of pitch-level improvement Detroit’s front office loves to bet on — especially when it comes with a remaining minor league option.

Tigers make low-risk upside bet with Konnor Pilkington signing

Pilkington's obvious flaw is control. He walked 13.8% of hitters last season and has posted a walk rate of 12.4% or higher in each of his three MLB campaigns. That’s the difference between “intriguing bullpen weapon” and “optionable depth arm," but it's also why this is a low-risk minor league deal and not a guaranteed bullpen spot.

Detroit has quietly built a reputation for identifying tweak-able traits — a pitch mix change here, a usage shift there — and letting the pitching infrastructure go to work. We saw it with veterans like Kyle Finnegan at the deadline last year, and we've seen it with plenty of swingmen and reclamation arms cycling through Toledo.

Pilkington’s profile fits that mold. He's a former starter with pedigree, now throwing harder in shorter bursts. He has one legitimately dominant pitch (his slider) and a clear, correctable flaw (command consistency).

With the Tigers aiming to contend and depth already under scrutiny this spring, adding controllable left-handed relief options is smart business. Pilkington doesn’t need to be a high-leverage arm to justify this deal. If he throws strikes at even a league-average clip, the strikeout stuff plays. And if he doesn’t? The Tigers lose nothing.

It’s not flashy. It’s not headline-grabbing. But it’s the kind of under-the-radar acquisition that contending teams stack in February — former division rival, former top prospect, underlying metrics that hint at more.

It's classic Scott Harris: find the arm, trust the data, and see what happens in Lakeland.