6:27 p.m.: Seabold will break camp, manager AJ Hinch told Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press.
5:00 p.m.: The Tigers announced the signing of the right-hander Connor Seabold on a split contract worth $800K at the major league level. It has not been reported what he will do if he is sent to the children. Making room for Seabold in the 40 man, righty Beau Brieske was placed on the 60-day injured list with a left adductor strain.
Sabold, 30, is quickly finding a new destination. He was in camp with the Blue Jays on a minor league deal but activated the release clause in that deal and it was terminated a few days ago. Now he’s got a new deal and is getting a roster spot, at least for now.
He’s out of options and can’t easily be sent to children. If he is placed on waivers, he will have the right to free agency as he has his previous job. However, he doesn’t have enough service time to opt for free agency and keep his salary commitments in tact. Since this is a division deal, it’s possible the minor league salary is significant enough that Seabold won’t want to walk away from it.
Seabold’s record so far is not particularly impressive. He has thrown 119 innings, allowing a 7.79 earned run average over nine innings. However, a decent chunk of that sample was at Coors Field, as Seabold pitched 87 1/3 innings for the Rockies in 2023.
The Tigers may be betting on a recent surge. As Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling reported, the Jays were hoping Seabold would play more this year until his velo kicks in at the start of camp. He averaged 92 to 93 miles per hour in his major league career but suddenly hit 96, he had a nice straight break to start, so the Jays chose to consider him a bullpen gig. The Jays also helped him add a slide. He faced 33 batters during official spring action and struck out 13 of them, a 39.4% clip.
Obviously a small sample and Seabold also walked four batters, struck out three more and posted a 6.75 ERA. The Jays weren’t impressed enough to offer him a roster spot even though they could make it work. But maybe something will be unlocked with more life. Otherwise, the Tigers are only committed to paying him above the league minimum as long as he holds a roster spot.
As for Brieske, the injury ended most of his spring training. He was initially diagnosed with rib stiffness. He overcame that issue and returned to the stick about two weeks ago, but then a problem appeared and he was kicked out again.
His exact timing is unclear but his adductor strain is so serious that the Tigers don’t expect him to return before the end of May. Having missed spring training, making only three appearances, it will likely take time to ramp up once he’s healthy. Exceptions are sometimes made for guys recovering from UCL surgery but pitchers’ rehab assignments are usually limited to 30 days.
Photo courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel, Imagn Images
