The Detroit Tigers needed more pitching help, and with little available on the free agent market in terms of starters, building up the bullpen was the best option. On Wednesday, the Tigers signed veteran left-handed reliever, Andrew Chafin to a two-year contract worth $13 million. The deal features a player opt-out after year one. The signing was first reported by Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press.
The 31-year-old Chafin broke into the majors with the Arizona Diamondbacks back in 2014 and pitched six seasons there. He was dealt to the Chicago Cubs back in 2020, and then traded to the Oakland A’s last summer. He holds a career 3.30 ERA and a 3.18 FIP, and was one of the top relievers left on the free agent market. He has a sneaky good sinking fastball that draws weak contact and is generally hard to homer against. His slider generated a 54.6 percent whiff rate last season.
We’re pleased.
The Tigers also signed veteran starter Wily Peralta on Wednesday, bringing him back on a minor league deal with incentives should he make the major league roster. If he does, he’ll earn $2.5 million, and there are an additional half million in incentives, per Petzold’s reporting.
Peralta gave the Tigers 93 2⁄3 innings of work, with a 3.07 ERA, in 2021 and really saved their bacon after a rash of starter injuries to Spencer Turnbull and Matthew Boyd. His peripherals scream regression, as he only struck out 14.4 percent of hitters he faced last year. However, as a fifth starter type, he did his job well, inducing weak contact and timely groundballs. With the infield upgraded defensively via Javier Báez at shortstop, Peralta seems likely to eat innings successfully once again.