Tigers trade recently DFA'd pitcher to Rays for minor-league catcher and cash

When the Tigers signed reliever Tommy Kahnle to a surprise one-year, $7.75 million deal, they designated Alex Faedo, their 2017 first-round draft pick, for assignment to clear space on the 40-man roster.

It was out of character for the Tigers to let go of a former top prospect and Faedo did improve in 2024 after two seasons of underwhelming performance, but he also wasn't much of a factor in the excellence Detroit's bullpen put on display last season.

He pitched 57 1/3 innings for a 3.61 ERA after he was demoted to the bullpen following a 12-start, 4.45 ERA season in 2023. The Tigers used him every which way in 2024, but mostly as a one to two-inning middle reliever between appearances for the big guns — Beau Brieske, Jason Foley, Will Vest, and Tyler Holton.

On Monday, Jeff Passan reported the Tigers were trading Faedo, a Tampa native, to the Rays in exchange for minor league catcher Enderson Delgado and cash considerations. The Rays do have a knack for fixing up pitchers, so maybe Faedo will be able to make something work in his hometown.

Tigers trade former first-round pick Alex Faedo to Rays for minor leaguer Enderson Delgado and cash

All told, Faedo closed out his Tigers tenure with a 4.51 ERA over 175 2/3 innings with 30 starts. He went up and down from the majors to the minors through both 2022 and 2023, with a few stints on both the 15- and 60-day injured lists, and his place on the 2024 Opening Day roster was far from assured with the additions of Jack Flaherty and Kenta Maeda to rotation that preceeding offseason. However, Faedo did make it out of camp and was added to the bullpen.

He managed to stay on the major league roster apart from a rehab assignment in June, but he ended the season on the 60-day IL with a right shoulder strain and didn't pitch in September or during the Tigers' postseason run.

The Tigers aren't quick to give up on their homegrown guys, but Faedo's extensive injury history and mediocre-to-bad performance in between made him an easy option to cut when Detroit needed to accommodate Kahnle. One can only hope that the Tigers put some of the cash they got in exchange for him to good use — maybe this is going to help them finally get over the finish line with Alex Bregman.