The Tigers are in agreement with reliever Nick Sandlin on a minor league contract, as first reflected on the MLB.com transaction log. The Ballengee Group client will report to Triple-A Toledo. Sandlin elected free agency after being waived by the Angels last week.
Sandlin, 29, had a solid four-year run as a middle reliever in Cleveland to begin his MLB career. The Southern Mississippi product turned in a 3.27 earned run average in just under 200 innings for the club. They traded him to Toronto alongside Andrés Giménez over the 2024-25 offseason. Sandlin missed most of his lone season with the Blue Jays due to an elbow injury and was cut loose in November.
After offseason surgery, Sandlin joined the Halos on a minor league contract. He made the MLB roster in April and was hit hard in eight appearances. Sandlin gave up 11 runs on nine hits and eight free passes (five walks and three hit batters) over 8 2/3 innings. He only recorded six strikeouts with a career-low 10.2% swinging strike rate.
The Tigers will see if they can get him on track in the minors. Sandlin throws from a low arm slot and leans most heavily on a plus slider. He missed a decent number of bats early in his career, though his average fastball speed has progressively dropped from 94 mph as a rookie to 91-92 over the years.
Detroit’s bullpen is middle of the pack in ERA (3.83) and strikeout rate (22.7%). They’re in the bottom third of the league in swinging strikes for a second straight season. Setup man Will Vest has been on the injured list since April 29 with what seems to be minor forearm inflammation.
