The Tigers have added right-hander Aneurys Zabala on a minor league deal, according to his MLB transaction log. Zabala was designated for assignment by the Marlins in September last year, and became a free agent at the end of the season.
Zabala, 26, had a very brief stint in the majors last year for Miami, pitching in two games and throwing 2 2/3 scoreless innings. He spent most of the season at Triple-A, where he tossed 17 2/3 innings of of 9.51 ERA ball, where his strong 25.2% strikeout rate was offset by an unsightly 23.5% walk rate.
Originally signed out of the Dominican Republic by the Mariners back in 2014, Zabala bounced around a few teams in addition to Seattle coming up through the minors, getting stints within the Dodgers, Reds and Phillies organizations, before landing with the Marlins. He’s flashed a 99 mph fastball, but has generally struggled with the walks. That became far more pronounced in 2022, as it’s tended to hover in the 12-15% range rather than the 23.5% mark it wound up at in 2022.