Why Tigers Are Moving Chris Paddack To Bullpen When He Returns To Team
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The Detroit Tigers sit atop the American League Central and have the best record in the AL with 80 wins. Following a Cinderella season in 2024, they have proved they are the class of their division, if not the entire AL.
After a lackluster July, they bounced back to have a 16-12 record in August. Though they didn't make any splashes at the deadline, Detroit did go out and acquire a few pitchers, including Charlie Morton, Kyle Finnegan, Chris Paddack and Paul Sewald, who's on the 60-day injured list.
The main weakness of this team has been the rotation. As it was in 2024, there is is not a whole lot of depth and reliability behind ace Tarik Skubal. Despite making the All-Star team, Casey Mize has a near 4.00 ERA. Jack Flaherty has an ERA+ of 88 and Jackson Jobe and Reese Olson are out of the year.
Morton and Paddack were meant to supplement the rotation and have each made six starts, both with ERAs north of 4.00. The 41-year-old Morton has allowed 20 earned runs in 31 innings, but is striking out 11.3 batters per nine despite his walks per nine being up at 4.1.
It's been a different story for Paddack, who now finds himself in a new role in Detroit.
Paddack Loses His Rotation Spot and Heads to the Bullpen
The Tigers acquired the right-hander from the division rival Minnesota Twins on July 28 along with Randy Dobnak in exchange for Enrique Jimenez. As a member of the Twins, Paddack posted a 4.95 ERA in 111 innings and struck out 83 batters.
Since joining the Tigers, the 29-year-old has regressed in just six outings. Over 30 innings, Paddack has allowed 18 runs (5.40 ERA) while striking out only 14 hitters. His 4.2 K/9 with Detroit is by far the lowest of his career. The 6.7 K/9 with Minnesota this season was the previous low.
Not only has he struggled to strike anyone out, his bWAR is already a -0.2 in a Tigers uniform. His performance forced Detroit to make a move in their rotation.
On Tuesday, The Athletic's Cody Stavenhagen reported Paddack's move to the bullpen. Sawyer Gipson-Long will take over in the rotation. He gave up six earned runs in four innings on Tuesday night against the New York Mets.
After the game, Stavehagen and other writers reported that Paddack will not be with the team the next three days after a death in the family. Detroit will likely move him to the bereavement list before Wednesday's game.
An emotional Chris Paddack said tonight he won't be with the team for the next three days. He had a death in the family.
— Cody Stavenhagen (@CodyStavenhagen) September 3, 2025
"Hopefully that’s a little reset for me, to be able to go home and hug the loved ones. The reason why play this game is for them."
This will be the first time in his career that Paddack will be a full-time reliever. This comes in a year where he has reached his career high in innings with 141 and counting.
The right-hander burst onto the scene in 2019 before even reaching Triple-A, but since his rookie season has yet to find solid footing on three different teams. He's always had good stuff, and maybe the move to the bullpen will elevate that even more.
