Mariners Lose 29-Year-Old Hurler To Tigers In Free Agency

A lot of movement to catch up on from December...

Mar 7, 2021; Lakeland, Florida, USA; A general view of the Detroit Tigers script logo on the building at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium during the spring training game between the Detroit Tigers and the Toronto Blue Jays. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

The Seattle Mariners signed right-hander Dylan File around this time last year, looking to bolster their rotation depth in the minors. In a way, they got exactly what they expected.

File, a former 21st-round draft pick of the Milwaukee Brewers, has hung around affiliated ball for the last nine years without making his debut in Major League Baseball. For the Mariners' farm system, he threw a combined 130 1/3 innings last year for Double-A and Triple-A, but was never in real consideration for a big-league roster spot.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

Though pitchers like File who can make consistent starts are desirable, even in Triple-A, the Mariners had no recourse to keep the 29-year-old without first letting him test free agency. And whether Seattle was involved in his market or not, it turned out he felt his options were better elsewhere.

Dylan File heads to Mariners' AL playoff foe

Dylan File delivers during the Brewers alternate training camp on Friday, July 24, 2020, on Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute, Wis.Wm. Glasheen USA TODAY NETWORK- Apc Brewers Alternate 6059 072420 Wag | USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin via Imagn Content Services, LLC

According to the transactions log on his official roster page, File signed a minor-league deal with the Detroit Tigers on Dec. 19. The transaction first showed up on his page on Monday after the holidays slowed down a lot of the free agency news cycle.

In his 28 outings for the Mariners organization, 24 of which came in Double-A, File pitched to a 4.70 ERA with just 100 strikeouts to 135 hits allowed. The low strikeout total doesn't exactly scream major league upside, but sometimes, getting to the majors is more about being in the right place at the right time.

If there was any American League contender that would potentially offer opportunity in the rotation to unproven minor-leaguers at some point this season, it may well have been the Tigers. Sure, it would take injuries and maybe even a trade of ace Tarik Skubal, but compared to the Mariners and some of their competitors, the Tigers were relatively thin.

Will File's long journey through the minors pay off this year in a major league debut? The next nine months will provide the answer.

More MLB: Mariners Lose 28-Year-Old Free Agent To Rival Athletics