Tigers Acquire RHP Jacob Waguespack, His 1.66 Triple-A ERA Earned Him a Shot
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The Detroit Tigers made a low-cost bet on Wednesday when they worked out a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers for Jacob Waguespack. The return is yet to be determined as the release just said a player to be named later or cash considerations.
This really isn’t the kind of transaction that makes big headlines, but the numbers behind the deal tell a story.
Waguespack is now 32 years old and has had quite the journey in and out of Major League Baseball. Starting with the 2026 season, he has spent all of his time in the minors where he made 16 appearances.
The Louisiana native has posted an impressive 1.66 ERA and 1.20 WHIP across 21.2 innings all while striking out 33 batters.
For a Tigers bullben that is currently ranked 20th in MLB with a 4.00 ERA, the move to add a reliever with those kind of numbers at a very low cost was good business.
Tigers Acquire Jacob Waguespack https://t.co/23YKxBuI6i pic.twitter.com/Ji0ZY0vcOT
— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) June 10, 2026
The Long Windy Road for Waguespack
The path Waguespack has been on has been literally anything but direct. He was a late draft pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2012 out of the University of Mississippi.
After grinding through the minors, Waguespack found his way to the field with the Toronto Blue Jays finally in 2019. In his rookie season, he showed promise by posting a 4.38 ERA across 78 innings and 13 starts. The COVID year changed everything. After putting up an 8.15 ERA in limited action, his MLB opportunities seemed to shrink.
He went on to spend some time in Japan and experienced a rash of injuries that kept him sidelined. Finally in 2024, the Tampa Bay Rays took an interest in him and he put up a 5.40 ERA across four appearances.
His career numbers are very limited for his age. He is 5-5 with a 5.11 ERA in just 105.2 innings. This is not the story of a dominant pitcher.
Taking a look at his minor league stats over the last two years and it appears that Waguespack may have reinvented himself.
In 2025 he appeared 25 times and posted a 2.45 ERA in 33.0 innings. Follow that up with his dominant showing in the 2026 campaign in Nashville - 16 appearances, 1.66 ERA in 21.2 innings, and you might have the makings of a guy who is ready to take on the MLB mound once again.
What Waguespack Brings To Detroit
The Tigers are now 28-39, not the position anyone saw them in at the start of the season. May was brutal for the team going just 6-22. June has been much better as they have already won as many games this month as they did the entire month of May. In fact, they have won six of their last seven games since the calendar turned.
A functional bullpen could do wonders to turn this ship around and continue to help the organization gain momentum. They are just 7.5 games back of the Chicago White Sox and certainly not out of the picture just yet.
The price the Tigers will pay hasn’t been named which shows the uncertainty of the deal. Waguespack has never been a reliable MLB arm. Now at age 32 and with his 2026 numbers, he is deserving of another look, and the Tigers are giving him one.
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Laura Lambert resides in Wiggins, Colo. with her husband, Ricky and two sons, Brayden and Boedy. She attended the University of Northern Colorado while studying economics. She is an accomplished rodeo athlete and barrel horse trainer along with being a life-long sports fan. Over the years, Laura has been active in journalism in a variety of roles. While continuing to cover western sports and country music, she is currently enjoying expanding her reach into multiple sports including MLB, NFL, and WNBA. Laura covers the Washington Nationals, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, Colorado Rockies, Toronto Blue Jays, and Rodeo for On SI. You can reach her at lauralambertmedia@gmail.com