The Tigers have signed right-hander Carlos Sanabria and catcher Chris Rabago to minor league deals, The Detroit Free Press’ Evan Petzold reports. Presumably, both players will be invited to the Tigers’ big league Spring Training camp whenever the lockout ends and camp opens for Major League players.
Sanabria pitched in the Royals’ farm system in 2021, after spending his first seven pro seasons in the Astros organization. It’s fair to speculate that Tigers manager A.J. Hinch had a hand in recruiting Sanabria to Detroit, as Hinch was undoubtedly familiar with the righty when Hinch was managing the Astros from 2015-19. Sanabria didn’t make his big league debut until Hinch had left Houston, however, as Sanabria’s MLB resume consists of two games and two innings with the Astros in 2020.
Still only 25 years old, Sanabria has a 3.82 ERA and 23% strikeout rate over 412 1/3 career innings in the minor leagues, working only as a reliever over the last four seasons. Much of Sanabria’s success has come at the lower levels, as he has a 5.27 ERA at Triple-A, albeit over just 27 1/3 innings of work. A greater concern may be a lack of control that has more or less been an issue for Sanabria over his career, and has particularly manifested itself over the last few years; Sanabria has a 14.75% walk rate over 113 1/3 combined innings at the Double-A and Triple-A levels.
Rabago was a 13th-round pick for the Rockies in the 2014 draft, and he has played almost all of his career in Colorado’s farm system apart from a seven-game stint with the Yankees’ Double-A squad in 2018. Rabago has hit .248/.327/.348 over 1727 plate appearances in the minors, including a very similar .240/.325/.346 slash in 235 PA at the Triple-A level.
Rabago will provide the Tigers with further depth at a catching position that is headlined by new arrival Tucker Barnhart. The versatile Eric Haase is the primary backup on the big league roster and can also be used in the outfield, while Dustin Garneau is at Triple-A providing more experience. Jake Rogers will miss a good chunk of the 2022 season recovering from a Tommy John surgery from last September.
I’m still hoping they can manage to get Wily Peralta back! Sanabria is an interesting player, I’m excited to see what Chris Fetter has in-store for the development of all these young pitchers.
Peralta, no doubt! That should have been obvious to the team.
I’m hoping they give Alexander a legitimate shot in the rotation
I like Tyler in the hybrid spot start-long relief role. He looks like a better version of what Gardy tried doing with DNorris in 2019. After the 5th inning.. look out.
I know it makes no sense with the lockout, but I loaded the Tigers Rumors page and quickly saw “Tigers sign Carlos ….” and for a split second I thought they had signed Carlos Correa, haha.
Carlos Sanabria didn’t pitch very well in MiLB and will likely be an early cut in spring.
COL converted Chris Rabago into a C from SS. He wasn’t a full time player in the minors. He is unusual for a catcher because he can run.
What an astute GM, Al Avila is.
These type acquisitions waste the organization’s time and resources. When the Tigers do get “under the radar” type talent, they waste away in MiLB. In preseason 2020 Frank Schwidel was the best hitter. That got Schwindel a trip to MiLB to stay even when CJ Cron went down early. Furthermore, it’s a shame how they’ve mismanaged Derek Hill. He hit in preseason and maybe the best defensive CF in MLB but the Tigers still claimed he couldn’t play opting to use proven busts like JaCoby Jones and Nomar Mazara.
I can’t believe how many people think the Tigers are on the rise. The media are clueless. Javy Baez is the most overrated, overhyped and classless clown in MLB. This is Al Avila’s signature key free agent acquisition to be the future of the Tigers? We can’t blame Mike Illich for this one.
I have been a Tiger fan and moreover a Baseball fan since 1972 when I was old enough to study Baseball and numbers. I decided I don’t have to watch the sad act of Avila anymore.
I disagree completely. They got Wily P on a MiLb deal, Eric Haase by means of cash transaction w/ a division rival, Akil Baddoo & Victor Reyes Rule5 players, Tarik Skubal in the 9th round. That is sound GM management. I was excited to see Wilson Ramos sign, what a complete bust, but then emerge Garneau and Greiner. These type of transactions are vital for the mid cap teams.
I believe Derek Hill is JaCoby Jones 2.0. Sure he’s a pretty good defenseman (when healthy), but he’s never done anything with the other half of his game.
They needed a SS, and they got a top SS. They needed a Catcher and they got Barnhardt; for a player who thus far, looks like he might not make it out of A level ball. I truly hope you comeback and give them another chance. They’re improving, while not giving up -but strengthening the farm. I hope they can sign another competent arm and fingers crossed for Conforto.
Your opinion is that of a silly rain cloud, In Al’s time he has taken one of the worst farms and tuned it into one of MLB’s better systems, signed his son and then traded him away for Jeimer Candelario who had a far above average season last year, he also shed a ton of old money that bogged down the club… and last season after the first two months the Tigers looked like an exciting team with a future. We have high talent coming and now they have EL MAGO, and another year of seasoning for those high talent pitchers.
If you are not excited about this team then you must be suffering some serious bad times to not see the day light at the end of the tunnel.