Tigers keep 3, part with Ibáñez.

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00:00So, let's talk about the latest from the Detroit Tigers and the changes they're making to their

00:06roster. You might remember Andy Ibanez as the guy who came through with that key pinch hit last year,

00:11the one that lifted the Tigers past the Astros and into the AL Division Series.

00:16Well, his time with the Tigers has come to an end. The team did not offer him a contract by

00:21Friday's deadline, which means he is now a free agent. This situation really shows you how quickly

00:26things can change in baseball. Now, on that same Friday, the Tigers did offer contracts to 11 of

00:35their 12 players who were eligible for arbitration. This group includes some of their biggest names,

00:41back-to-back AL Cy Young Award winner Tarek Skubal. All-stars like Riley Green, Zach McKinstry and Casey

00:48Mize, as well as power hitters Spencer Torkelson and Kerry Carpenter, they also locked in a few

00:53players ahead of time, agreeing to one-year deals with outfielder Matt Shearling for $3,255,000,

01:01reliever Bo Breeski for $1,150, $7,500, and catcher Jake Rogers for $3,050,000, but they decided to let

01:09Ibanez go. This wasn't a huge surprise after his 2025 season, where he spent a significant portion of the

01:16year at AAA Toledo and saw a younger player take over his role. For three years, the 32-year-old Ibanez was

01:23a perfect example of manager AJ Hinch's strategy, mixing, and matching players to put them in the

01:29best spot to succeed. For Ibanez, a right-handed hitter, that meant he was usually in the lineup

01:35against left-handed pitchers, and was the go-to guy for pinch-hit opportunities when a left-handed

01:40reliever came into the game. In 2024, his 10 pinch-hits were the second most in the entire major leagues,

01:48only behind Randall Grichuk, and for that entire regular season, he hit an impressive .292 with a

01:56.357 on-base percentage and a .445 slugging percentage against left-handed pitchers. However,

02:03what he'll always be remembered for that year is his iconic pinch hit in the playoffs,

02:07a three-run double off the Astros' star reliever Josh Hader in Game 2 of the AL Wildcard Series.

02:13That hit propelled the Tigers to a sweep in Houston, and was officially the first go-ahead

02:17pinch hit in the entire history of the Tigers' postseason. The Tigers had signed him to a one-year,

02:23$1.4 million contract the previous winter, and he started 2025 with a bang, hitting a three-run

02:29homer off lefty Carlos Rodon to beat the Yankees on April 7th, but that hit turned out to be the

02:34exception in what was otherwise a slow start to his season. At the same time, Jamai Jones was playing

02:40incredibly well in Toledo, so the Tigers sent Ibanez down to the minors on June 6th. Ibanez worked on

02:45refining his swing in Toledo, and earned his way back to Detroit by the end of July, but by that

02:51time, Jones had firmly taken over the role as the preferred pinch hit, and lefty hitting specialist,

02:57Ibanez, did share time at third base with Colt Keith and Zach McKinstry, but his playoff involvement

03:03was minimal. He got only one at-bat and one late-game appearance across the Tigers' eight

03:09postseason games. So looking ahead to 2026, the Tigers have young right-handed hitting infielders

03:16in their farm system who are ready for a shot, specifically their No. 6 prospect Hao Yu Lee,

03:21and No. 9 prospect Max Anderson. Lee put up a strong bond on 19 OPS against left-handed pitching

03:28at AAA Toledo last season. Anderson was even more dominant against Southpaws, hitting.

03:33Juan Sedin to guidance Sayid for a star. 341 with a 1.017 OPS across AA and AAA before excelling in the

03:43Arizona Fall League. This gives the Tigers the option to go with a younger player for the role

03:47Ibanez once filled. Now, the decision on reliever Bo Brieski was an interesting one. He's a real success

03:54story. For the Tigers' farm system, he was only a 27th-round draft pick in 2019 out of Colorado State

04:00Pueblo, but he made it to the big leagues just three years later. He was a starter for half of

04:05the 2022 season, missed most of 2023 with an injury, but then bounced back in 2024 to become a versatile

04:13and crucial part of the bullpen. While he made 12 starts, most were as an opener, and he made history

04:21by being the first Tigers pitcher since 1929 to start games on back-to-back days. His performance down

04:28the stretch was phenomenal, with a 1.99 ERA over the final couple of months. He then appeared in six

04:34of the Tigers' seven postseason games, even earning a save in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series in Houston,

04:41and another in Game 2 of the ALDS in Cleveland. That made him the only Tigers pitcher in history to

04:46record a save in his postseason debut. Brieski entered 2025 with high hopes, but he never quite found

04:53his rhythm, and then struggled with his health. He had a tough loss where he blew a two-run lead in

04:58extra innings at Dodger Stadium, capped by a walk-off three-run homer from Mookie Betts. He gave up runs

05:04in seven of his first 12 appearances. A particularly rough five-run inning against the Orioles on June 11th

05:11led to him being sent down to Toledo. After a couple more difficult outings there, he landed on the injured

05:17list, with a right forearm strain, and didn't pitch again for the rest of the season. He is, however,

05:23scheduled to begin a throwing progression this week. Bringing Brieski back provides some stability

05:28to a Tigers bullpen that has recently lost Jason Foley, Alex Lang, and Sean Gwenther. Other

05:35arbitration-eligible relievers, Tyler Holton and Will Vest, were also offered contracts. Finally, let's touch

05:42on the other players who signed deals. Matt Vierling, who was in his second year of arbitration,

05:47battled shoulder problems for much of the year. He played in only 31 games, batting .239 with a .310

05:54on-base percentage and a .307 slugging percentage, hitting three doubles, one home run, and 11 RBIs.

06:02The Tigers are hopeful that once he's fully healthy, he can return to his 2024 form, when he was a very

06:08valuable 3.0 BBAR player for them. As for catcher Jake Rogers, he made $2,640,000 this past season.

06:17He started as the primary catcher, but after missing six weeks with an oblique injury, he returned in a

06:23backup role to Dylan Dingler. At the plate, he hit 187 with a .277 on-base percentage, and a .333 slugging

06:31percentage, with three homers and 19 RBIs. While, his offensive numbers might have made

06:38him a candidate to be let go, the Tigers highly value his defensive skills and his ability to call

06:44a game. With his salary being in line with what other veteran catchers are getting, the team wanted

06:49him back. It's worth noting that Rogers, along with Tarek Skubal and Casey Mize, will be eligible

06:54for free agency next winter. What's your take on the Tigers' decisions for the upcoming season?

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