Detroit Tigers to Re-Sign Former New York Mets Starting Catcher
In this story:
The Detroit Tigers have re-signed a depth catcher to a minor league contract.
According to Mike Mayer of Metsmerized, the Tigers have agreed to terms on the minor league deal with Tomas Nido, an agreement which includes a non-roster invite to spring training and a $1.5 million bonus if Nido were to make the Major League roster.
Nido began the 2024 season with the New York Mets in what was his eighth year with the team, but has mostly been aggregated to a backup role over the last couple of seasons due to the emergence of Francisco Alvarez.
When Alvarez suffered an injury this past season, Nido stepped back into the starting role and performed admirably over the 32 games he played. With a .623 OPS, a .229 batting average, and 3 home runs all while providing reliable defense behind the plate, Nido filled in nicely.
But Nido was released by the Mets in June and would sign a contract with the Chicago Cubs, appearing in 17 games for them where he struggled mightily.
Released once again by the Cubs roughly a month after undergoing surgery to repair a minor right meniscus tear, Nido would wind up signing a minor league deal with Detroit a couple of weeks later in late September. He appeared in just three games for Triple-A Toledo but would have three hits and two RBIs.
After electing free agency, Nido winds up back with the Tigers and seemingly has a chance to prove why he still deserves a spot on an MLB roster, and in turn an opportunity to cash in with a nice bonus if he can do just that.
Overall for his career, the 30-year-old Nido has played in 323 games with a career batting average of .210, an OPS of .554, 17 home runs, 86 RBIs, and a career on-base percentage of .245.
Obviously these are not numbers which will blow anyone away by any means, but his defensive ability is enough to justify a minor league deal and he has proven throughout his career to have the ability to fill in and provide a steadying presence when injuries inevitably occur.
For the Tigers, catcher is a position the organization is relatively thin on with just Jake Rogers and Dillon Dingler on the 40-man roster, so taking a low risk on Nido and at least having him within the organization is a sound strategy.
Michael Brauner is a 2022 graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in Sports Media. He covers various MLB teams across the On SI network and you can also find his work on Yellowhammer News covering the Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers as well as on the radio producing and co-hosting 'The Opening Kickoff' every weekday morning on 105.5 WNSP FM in Mobile, Alabama.