Detroit Tigers fans are starting to recognize a pattern this winter — and not the reassuring kind.
Once again, the Tigers have re-signed a pitcher they just DFA’d, this time bringing back Tyler Mattison on a minor-league deal. He joins Sean Guenther, Jack Little and Tanner Rainey — four pitchers, all designated for assignment (or non-tendered) by the Tigers, all now back in the organization on cheap, low-risk contracts.
At some point, this stops looking like “savvy depth management” and starts looking like a full-blown organizational habit.
The DFA-to-waivers-to-minor-league-deal cycle has become the Tigers’ bullpen version of Groundhog Day.