Tigers sign former division rival reliever, release offseason depth addition

The Detroit Tigers added some non-roster pitching depth this week, but it came at the expense of a veteran outfielder who started the season on their Opening Day roster.

The Tigers signed southpaw Devin Smeltzer to a minor league deal on Tuesday, the same day they released Manuel Margot from Triple-A Toledo. Margot had signed with the Tigers just before Opening Day to bolster an outfield that had been ravaged by numerous injuries during spring training and went 6-for-19 (all singles) in six appearances with the Tigers before going down with a knee injury on April 7.

When the Tigers activated Margot off the injured list in early May, they quietly placed him on waivers and outrighted him to Triple-A instead of bringing him back to Detroit. Margot hit just .211 with a .564 OPS in 144 plate appearances with Toledo before losing his spot on the roster Tuesday.

Tigers sign former division rival reliever Devin Smeltzer to minor league contract

Smeltzer has seen Major League action in parts of five seasons, the majority of which came with the American League Central division-rival Minnesota Twins. His most recent big league stint came in 2023 with the Miami Marlins, where he was tagged for 16 earned runs over 22 1/3 innings.

Smeltzer has worked both as a starting pitcher and a bulk reliever at the Major League level, pitching to a 4.32 ERA over 162 1/3 innings. His 16.5% strikeout rate is less than ideal, but his 6% walk rate offers some promise.

Smeltzer has been pitching for los Dorados de Chihuahua in the Mexican League this season, recording a 5.17 ERA, 17.6% strikeout rate and 7% walk rate. His ERA is significantly better than the average of 6.01 in what's considered an extremely hitter-friendly league.

Smeltzer had been working as a starter in the Mexican League, averaging more than six innings per start. He provides Detroit with some non-roster depth as a back-of-the-rotation option or as a swingman. He will report to Triple-A Toledo; but with Sawyer Gipson-Long, Alex Cobb, Jackson Jobe, Ty Madden and Jose Urquidy all on the IL, it stands to reason that Smeltzer could be pressed into Major League action at some point during the second half of the season.

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