Tigers send former pitching chaos staple to Triple-A in final roster twist of spring

Last year, the Tigers' once-vaunted pitching chaos system became the bane of fans' existence. In the last two months of the season, as Detroit was staging one of the worst collapses in baseball's history, the front office was hellbent on making roster decisions that didn't make any sense.

The bullpen was struggling, and the Tigers' solution was to call up and send down relievers seemingly at random. They were throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping that some would stick.

One of the most egregious casualties of this "strategy" was Brenan Hanifee, who was sent down in early August after giving up a single earned run in his last appearance. He had a totally respectable 3.10 ERA at the time. The Tigers called him back up almost as soon as his requisite two weeks in Triple-A were served, but fans were baffled.

Almost as baffling: the Tigers finalized their Opening Day roster on Tuesday, and it won't include Hanifee. Detroit signed Connor Seabold to a split contract just days after the Blue Jays cut him from their camp and immediately promised him a spot on their roster. Enmanuel De Jesus and Brant Hurter will get the last two spots in the bullpen, making Hanifee the odd man out.

Tigers cut bullpen staple Brenan Hanifee in last roster trim before Opening Day

Seabold had a 6.75 ERA in 6 2/3 spring innings before the Blue Jays sent him on his way. Hanifee had a 6.35 ERA in 5 2/3 innings.

Even though he was marginally better, we're not going to make a case for Hanifee based on a sample size that small and that similar. What is still head-scratching is the fact that the Tigers felt they needed to sign Seabold at all — and this close to Opening Day — when they have guys like Hanifee, who have good track records with the team outside of spring training results.

If this all feels familiar, it should. The relievers the Tigers called up last year when they were flailing were tiny trade deadline acquisitions or minor league signings who (shock, surprise) didn't end up helping at all.

AJ Hinch said after Hanifee's return in late August: "We were kind of counting the days to get him back." He didn't answer the question of why the Tigers sent him down in the first place.

Is this just history repeating itself? Will Seabold flame out and will the Tigers promote Hanifee again as soon as they realize they've made a mistake? It seems more likely than you think.