The Detroit Tigers have released right-handed relief pitcher John Brebbia. He was previously designated for assignment on June 15, and will now be a free agent and can sign with any team.
The 35-year-old Brebbia signed a one-year, $2.75 million deal with Detroit this past offseason. Brebbia previously pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants, Chicago White Sox, and Atlanta Braves.
Per Evan Woodberry of MLive.com, the Tigers are on the hook for the remainder of Brebbia’s contract, but the money will be prorated to the league minimum should he sign somewhere else.
Brebbia started the year off strong, pitching to a 1.00 ERA in his first nine innings of work. However, a tricep strain forced him to hit the IL in late April. Upon his return, Brebbia was very ineffective, pitching to a 13.97 ERA in 11 appearances.
“He is a better pitcher than he showed,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said, per Woodberry. “I think at the end of the day, for him to contribute like he should, he’s got to be in the strike zone more. I thought he sprayed the ball a lot and couldn’t quite get his feel for his pitches. When he did get in the zone, it was damage. So it just didn’t work out. He’s a good guy and a good teammate. But from a role-filling standpoint, we felt like we had to give an opportunity to somebody else.”
The Tigers move comes amid a three-game losing skid for the team. Despite that, Detroit still holds Major League Baseball’s best record at 48-30, with an 8.5 game lead in the American League Central.
