Tigers re-sign utility player after dropping him from 40-man roster

Last week, the Tigers did some housekeeping to open the offseason. They declined Casey Mize's $3.1 million option for 2025, sending him back in arbitration eligibility; they traded minor league pitcher Devin Sweet to the Phillies; and they outrighted three players from the 40-man roster: utilitymen Ryan Vilade and Bligh Madris, and pitcher Bryan Sammons.

All three cleared waivers and elected free agency instead of accepting assignments back to Triple-A Toledo.

However, it seems like Madris might've felt like he had some kind of unfinished business in Detroit, or the team still sees some kind of big league potential for him with the Tigers.

On Friday, he signed his second minor-league deal with Detroit, which included an invitation to spring training.

Tigers re-sign utilityman Bligh Madris to a minor-league deal

Madris first became a Tiger in November 2022, when he was designated for assignment by the Rays, claimed off of waivers, and added to the 40-man. He was DFA'd again when the Tigers picked up catcher Marco Feliciano less than a month later and was traded to the Astros for cash in January.

After a year in Houston, most of which was spent in Triple-A, he was outrighted off of the major league roster and elected free agency in October before returning to the Tigers on a minor league deal.

This season, he batted .269 with a .682 OPS over 21 games in the majors as a fill-in first baseman during Spencer Torkelson's demotion to the minors. It was far from enough to allow him to seriously threaten to take over Torkelson's spot, but he had a couple of three-hit days and one home run mixed into an otherwise rather middling effort at the plate.

He didn't post great numbers in Triple-A, either (.222 average, .767 OPS over 108 games), so it's a little hard to understand what the Tigers see in him, but it's better to have more minor league options than necessary, ready for a last-minute call-up in the event of a surprise injury or demotion.