The roster moves are underway.
The Detroit Tigers opened the 2024-25 offseason by removing three players from the 40-man roster: first baseman/outfielder Bligh Madris, left-hander Bryan Sammons and outfielder Ryan Vilade. All three players cleared waivers and were outrighted to Triple-A Toledo, but they can decline their assignments in favor of free agency.
The three players were removed from the 40-man roster to create room for the Tigers to reinstate four players from the 60-day injured list, which had to happen by Monday’s 5 p.m. deadline.
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The 40-man roster is at 40 players.
The Tigers reinstated shortstop Javier Báez (right hip), right-handed reliever Alex Faedo (right shoulder), right-hander Sawyer Gipson-Long (right elbow, left hip) and right-handed reliever Brendan White (right elbow) from the 60-day injured list.
Báez, who underwent season-ending right hip surgery in early September, is expected to participate in spring training in late February and could be ready for Opening Day in late March. Before surgery, Báez hit .184 with six home runs and a .516 OPS in 80 games in the 2024 season.
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He is owed $73 million in the final three seasons of his six-year contract, including $25 million in 2025. The Tigers are planning for Báez to contribute to the 2025 team.
“There’s a reason why he got the surgery as early as he did,” president of baseball operations Scott Harris said Oct. 14, “to try to give him the best chance possible to be ready for Opening Day. … The general timeline will allow him to be a participant in spring training and have a fighting chance to be ready for Opening Day. We’ll update that timeline as we get more information.”
The three departing players — Madris, Sammons, Vilade — contributed to the Tigers in 2024.
Madris, 28, hit .269 with one home run, six walks and 20 strikeouts in 21 games; Sammons, 29, posted a 3.62 ERA with nine walks and 18 strikeouts over 27⅓ in six games; Vilade, 25, hit .178 with one homer, two walks and 12 strikeouts in 17 games.
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Sammons, whose fastball averages 91 mph, spent most of the season as a starter in Triple-A Toledo. For the Mud Hens, the southpaw had a 4.15 ERA, 44 walks and 102 strikeouts across 102 innings in 22 games (20 starts).
He made his MLB debut on July 29, 2024.
Devin Sweet trade
The Tigers traded right-handed reliever Devin Sweet — representing Team USA in the WBSC Premier12 tournament from Nov. 9-24 — to the Philadelphia Phillies for cash considerations.
The 28-year-old didn’t pitch in MLB in 2024.
But Sweet registered a 3.91 ERA with 38 walks and 111 strikeouts across 76 innings in 52 games (four starts) for Triple-A Toledo. His 33.9% strikeout rate ranked first among 89 pitchers in the International League with at least 70 innings.
Sweet, revered for his changeup, made his MLB debut in July 2023 with the Seattle Mariners, before joining the Tigers in January 2024 off waivers from the San Francisco Giants.
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