Will Former Detroit Tigers Reliever Find a Home Before Spring Training?

For all the moves the Detroit Tigers have made this offseason, there is one former player, who is now a free agent, still looking for a team.

Sep 17, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Shelby Miller (7) pitches during the sixth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

The Detroit Tigers had some security going into this offseason, as they knew they weren’t going to lose much in free agency.

Detroit has built this team from within with some wise — and unwise choices — in previous years that allowed Detroit to lock up much of its talent before the offseason.

For the Tigers, that has meant some judicious spending in free agency. They were looking for some pop in the infield and got in in former Yankees slugger Gleyber Torres, who signed a one-year deal worth $15 million. Even better for Detroit, he wanted the one-year deal so he could enter free agency again and get a longer-term deal.

Detroit took a flier on veteran starting pitcher Alex Cobb, who threw against them in the American League Division Series, forking over $15 million to put him behind Tarik Skubal in the rotation for one year.

Then, this week, the Tigers lured reliever Tommy Kahnle, previously with the Yankees, on a one-year deal worth $7.75 million. That puts him in position to help the Tigers in high-leverage innings late in games.

Incredibly, the Tigers had just one free agent they stood to lose this offseason, and so far that free agent has not signed a new contract. Pitcher Shelby Miller was released by Detroit late in the season after a rather forgettable performance.

Miller joined the Tigers after spending the 2023 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he put together a fantastic year. He went 3-0 with a 1.71 ERA in 36 appearances. He parlayed that into a new one-year deal with the Tigers.

Nothing came together for Miller while he was in Detroit. He fought injuries, had to spend some time in the minors to get right and still made 51 appearances. But he went 6-8 with a 4.53 ERA in 51 games, as he struck out 49 and walked 13 in 55.2 innings.

The 34-year-old has been pitching for more than a decade in the Majors, as St. Louis made him its first-round pick in the 2009 MLB draft.

He made his Major League debut three seasons later and spent time with nine different teams in his 12-year career. Most notably, as a starter with Atlanta in 2015, he made his only All Star Game appearance but finished the season 6-17 as he led the Majors in losses.

At this point in the offseason, the only way Miller might make his way back to the Tigers is on a non-guaranteed minor league deal. It might be worth it to take one more flyer on a veteran who has shown he can give any team valuable innings.

But this late in the offseason, there's a reason why Miller remains unsigned. Perhaps Detroit knew what they were doing when they released him in September.