The Detroit Tigers have made an in-division trade to add rotation depth. Detroit has acquired right-hander Chris Paddack from the AL Central rival Minnesota Twins in a three-player deal that will also see righty Randy Dobnak head to the Tigers and minor-league catcher/first baseman Enrique Jimenez go to the Twins, the teams announced Monday.
Paddack, 29, is having his healthiest season in years. His 111 innings are his second most in seven big-league seasons behind only the 140 ⅔ innings he threw as a rookie with the San Diego Padres in 2019. Injuries limited Paddack to 115 ⅔ innings total from 2022-24. The improved health has not led to improved performance, however. Paddack has a 4.95 ERA, including allowing 36 earned runs in 53 ⅔ innings since the beginning of June.
Shortly before the Paddack trade was announced, POBO Scott Harris told reporters, including MLB.com, that right-hander Reese Olson will miss the rest of the regular season with a shoulder strain. He’s been placed on the 60-day injured list and will head for tests to determine the severity of the injury. Paddack will step into Olson’s rotation spot. Olson has a 3.15 ERA in 13 starts around injury this year.
“I don’t know what comes of the rest of the year for him,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “I think that’s what the next couple of days are for.”
The Tigers have had a revolving door in the No. 5 starter’s spot since top prospect Jackson Jobe suffered an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery in late May. The club’s rotation depth chart currently looks like this:
- LHP Tarik Skubal
- RHP Casey Mize
RHP Reese Olson(will miss rest of 2025 with shoulder strain)- RHP Jack Flaherty
- RHP Chris Paddack
RHP Jackson Jobe(out with Tommy John surgery)- RHP Keider Montero
RHP Alex Cobb(out with hip inflammation)RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long(out with neck tightness)RHP Jose Urquidy(out with Tommy John surgery)- RHP Troy Melton
Last year, the Tigers used what manager A.J. Hinch called “pitching chaos” to win 31 of their final 44 games to reach the postseason for the first time since 2014. Skubal was the team’s only bona fide starter in October though. Olson was limited following an injury and the Tigers used a series of openers and bullpen games in the four playoff games Skubal did not start.
With Olson sidelined, the master plan this postseason is Skubal, the AL Cy Young frontrunner, followed by Mize and Flaherty in either order. Very few teams use a true No. 4 starter in the postseason these days. It’s mostly openers and bullpen games now. Paddack gives Detroit a solid enough No. 4 option for the rest of the regular season and October.
Of course, the Tigers have to get to the postseason first, and it has been tough sledding the last few weeks. They’ve lost 12 of their last 14 games and have played .500 ball since mid-May. That said, the AL Central is not imposing, and the Tigers opened a huge lead earlier this year. They’re still up eight games over the Guardians in the division despite going 2-12 these last two weeks.
Paddack is one of several Twins rentals expected to move prior to Thursday’s trade deadline. Outfielder Harrison Bader and lefty Danny Coulombe are Minnesota’s top free agents-to-be. They could also listen on starter Joe Ryan and relievers Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax, who are under team control through 2027. Any of the three would require a significant return package.
Dobnak, 30, was included in the trade as a salary dump as much as anything. He is owed the remainder of his $3 million salary this year plus a $1 million buyout of a $6 million club option for 2026. Dobnak has a 6.85 ERA in 65 ⅔ big-league innings since 2021. He has spent most of the last five years in Triple-A.
Baseball America ranked Jimenez the 17th-best prospect in Detroit’s system in their midseason update. The 19-year-old is hitting .250/.339/.440 with six home runs in 48 rookie ball games.
The Tigers are 61-46 despite their recent slump. The Twins are 50-55 and 5 ½ games behind the third wild-card spot.
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