The deadline for major league teams to tender contracts to arbitration eligible 40-man roster players was Friday evening at 8:00 p.m. ET. The Tigers refused to do so in the cases of RHP Spencer Turnbull and OF Austin Meadows, resulting in both players becoming free agents. RHP Freddy Pacheco, RHP Garrett Hill, and RHP Brenan Hanifee were also non-tendered and removed from the 40-man roster, bringing the total number of players on the roster to 37.
The Tigers were otherwise quiet on a day that saw a flurry of trades as teams looked to get something for players they planned to release or to secure players in trade who were likely to be released into the open market.
They were undoubtedly hoping to trade Turnbull for a potentially useful younger player with more team control, but it appears that no one was interested in the 31-year-old right-hander, who was set to earn $2.4 million in arbitration for the 2024 season.
That’s not surprising given Turnbull’s brief period of good health and success, culminating in his 2021 no-hitter as a major leaguer, but it still seemed like a coin flip whether the Tigers would cut him now or wait until they needed Turnbull’s 40-man roster spot for a new addition.
In any case, the player-team relationship deteriorated during the 2023 season due to disagreements over his health, rehabilitation, and roster assignments. Turnbull’s team appeared dissatisfied with being kept at Triple-A after a brief, rocky return to major league duty following his 2021 UCL surgery, with the implication that the Tigers were holding him back from playing another year of service time. Turnbull struggled even at Triple-A, according to the Tigers, because he couldn’t get back into decent pitching shape. He never looked ready for major league action at any point during the season. Whatever the full story was, the chances of him pitching for the Tigers again seemed slim by the end of the season.
Austin Meadows, on the other hand, has been unable to play for the majority of his two seasons as a Tiger due to an anxiety disorder. Meadows was brought in to provide veteran leadership and a powerful middle order bat, but he barely saw action in a Tigers uniform, appearing in 36 games in 2022 and just six in 2023. By the end of the season, the 28-year-old older brother of Tigers center fielder Parker Meadows appeared no closer to a comeback than ever, making this an obvious move. If he still wants to play baseball, he might be able to get a minor league contract there.
Garrett Hill, a right-hander, also had a bad 2023. The former 26th round pick defied the odds to reach the major leagues in 2022, but struggled there and regressed slightly this season.
After being released by the Baltimore Orioles, RHP Brenan Hanifee was signed to a minor league contract in December 2022. The 25-year-old made his major league debut in September 2023 with the Tigers, but he didn’t show much.
Finally, after suffering an elbow injury in spring training, RHP Freddy Pacheco was claimed off waivers by the Cardinals in March of this year. The Tigers placed Pacheco on the 60-day injured list and attempted to rehab his elbow, but he eventually underwent UCL reconstruction surgery in June. He’s regarded as a talented relief prospect with an excellent fastball, but he won’t be able to pitch again until late in the 2024 season at the earliest. Hopefully, the Tigers can sign him to a minor league contract and allow Pacheco to continue his rehab with the team. Still only 25 years old, he has a lot of potential left if he can recover fully from the surgery.
The Tigers did, as expected, tender contracts to LHP Tarik Skubal, OF Akil Baddoo, RHP Casey Mize, and C Jake Rogers before the deadline on Friday. Salary negotiations between teams and players can continue until January 12. If the parties cannot reach an agreement, an arbitration hearing in February will be scheduled to determine their 2024 salary.
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