Detroit Tigers Agree to One Year Deal to Avoid Arbitration With Key Reliever
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This offseason was going to be a busy one for the Detroit Tigers when it came to the arbitration process.
They had 10 players who were eligible, including 2024 American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal. He agreed to a massive $10.15 million deal with the team to avoid arbitration, per Jon Heyman.
There are still three players on the team that a deal hasn't yet been reported for; utilityman Matt Vierling and pitchers Alex Lange and Beau Brieske.
One of the players who were able to agree to a deal right before the deadline to avoid arbitration is relief pitcher Jason Foley.
The two sides settled on a one-year, $3.15 million deal per Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press.
Source: Jason Foley and #Tigers agree on $3.15 million contract for 2025, avoiding arbitration.
— Evan Petzold (@EvanPetzold) January 9, 2025
That certainly seems like a steal for the Tigers as Foley emerged as the team’s preferred option to close games out in 2024. He recorded 28 saves, making 69 appearances and throwing 60 innings with 46 strikeouts.
It will be interesting to see what kind of role he has in 2025 as manager A.J. Hinch opted not to use him in the ALDS against the Cleveland Guardians after he pitched 0.1 innings against the Houston Astros in the ALWC, giving up three hits and one earned run.
Despite his lack of strikeout numbers, it would be surprising if he wasn’t in the mix for saves and being used in high-leverage situations again. This is an incredibly young bullpen, as he, Will Vest and Kenta Maeda are the only players listed in the bullpen with more than three years of Major League service time.
Foley has been solid in his career, making 210 appearances and throwing 199.2 innings. He has registered a tidy 3.16 ERA and 3.22 FIP to go along with 150 strikeouts.
Under team control for three more campaigns, he is going to be an integral part of the bullpen for years to come.
Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.