The Tigers announced they have claimed left-hander Zach Logue off waivers from the A’s. Oakland had designated Logue for assignment earlier in the week. In a corresponding move, right-hander Angel De Jesus was designated for assignment. Jon Heyman of The New York Post reported the claim of Logue prior to the official announcement.
Logue, 27 in April, was a ninth round pick of the Blue Jays in 2017 who got added to their 40-man roster after a solid 2021 season. Logue split that year between Double-A and Triple-A, making 24 starts and one relief appearance with a 3.67 ERA, 28.2% strikeout rate and 5.3% walk rate. The A’s were intrigued enough to acquire him, with Logue being one of the four players that came over in the Matt Chapman trade.
Unfortunately, 2022 didn’t go as smooth for Logue. He was able to make his MLB debut, but he posted a 6.79 ERA over 14 appearances for the A’s. He limited walks to a 7.8% clip but only struck out 16.3% of batters faced. Things didn’t go much better in the minors, as he posted an ERA of 8.12 for the Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators. That club plays in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League but park factors alone can’t completely wave away those results. He also had subpar rate stats, striking out just 15.3% of batters faced there while walking 9.9% of them.
For the Tigers, it makes plenty of sense to put in a claim, even though Logue is coming off a down year. For one thing, Logue still has two option years remaining, allowing him to stay in the minors as depth until he’s needed. Secondly, there’s much rotation uncertainty in Detroit. Casey Mize underwent Tommy John surgery in June and will likely miss much of the upcoming season. Tarik Skubal underwent flexor tendon surgery in August and is a question mark for 2023. The club added Matthew Boyd and Michael Lorenzen to bolster their rotation, but they are both on one-year deals and could be deadline trade fodder if the Tigers aren’t in contention.
Boyd and Lorenzen should slot into a front five with Eduardo Rodriguez, Matt Manning and Spencer Turnbull. However, Manning also dealt with injuries in 2022 and only made 12 starts. Turnbull missed the entire season due to Tommy John surgery and will be an unknown quantity for 2023. If injuries and/or trades put a dent in the club’s rotation throughout the season, they will have depth options such as Joey Wentz, Beau Brieske and Alex Faedo, but Logue will now jump into that mix.
De Jesus, 26 in February, was added to the club’s 40-man roster in November of 2021 and spent 2022 as a frequently-optioned depth arm. He posted a 2.13 ERA over eight big league appearances but spent most of the season in Triple-A. In 47 2/3 innings down on the farm, he registered a 4.15 ERA with a 22.1% strikeout rate, 10.1% walk rate and 38.5% ground ball rate. The Tigers will now have a week to trade him or pass him through waivers. He still has a pair of option years and could garner interest from clubs looking for extra bullpen depth.
De Jesus seems a better player than Logue, seems a big price to pay for a lefty arm.
Definitely. This one is puzzling
nope, they are the tigers
Give Scott Harris some time. I agree with Newman, but the Tigers have developed pitchers pretty well so maybe they see something in Logue that they don’t see in DeJesus.
He’s lefty for one, and it is always harder to find a good lefty than righty.
Better and younger. Strange choice.
They’re hoping to pass De Jesus through waivers. Eventually, they’ll probably do the same with Logue.
Hopefully it pans out! I would like to see De Jesus in a Daniel Norris type hybrid role.
Both of them are depth pieces, I doubt that the Tigers would worry too much if they lost either of them.
If it’s Jon Heyman, it has to be true.
Wasn’t he in that movie The Big Loogie?
Yawn.
Hopefully he can play 3rd base
Lol
Tiger’s have a lot of tradable assets so picking up some D.F.A.’s makes sense. The Tigers did win 11 more games than the very worst, so they are near, very near replacement level themselves. That’s why you buy a program when you go to a game, to familiarize with the team. It’s easier to read about say a Ponce de Leon or a Magellan than trying to keep up with press releases.
When the big chips go off the board, Harris can open his overcoat showing off who he has to trade, and build up the farm. The worst that can happen to Detroit is they fall farther down increasing next years draft odds. Who knows, perhaps they get Ohtani next year, and he leads the rotation as well as the hitting, now that’s a real bargain.
You lost me when you suggested that the Tigers might sign Ohtani next year. No way in hell that will happen.
He’s cheap at a half a billion, and he can be the guy to build around. Waku waku ! Sub zero dreaming here today.
Matt Chapman trade should get someone Fired.
The Pitching prospect recovering from TJ Surgery 2 years ago barely pitched this season before getting injured again (Hoglund) and the other 3 players are looking like 4-A level Players ( Snead, Logue, and K. Smith ).
Porkie is on his way to flight school, right now!
Harris is known for churning the back end of the roster and he is doing so here in Detroit. DeJesus probably has topped out with what he can do but suspect the Tigers see something in Louge they can work with. Of course no guarantee he’ll be with us that long if someone better is found on the waiver wire down the line. Wouldn’t get too attached to him.
If Scott Harris upgrades his talent-acquisition game from strictly gutter scraps, he has a chance to become the present-day Dumpster Divin’ Theo.
But that’s a big if. The Tiger checkbook is obviously triple locked and military-grade encoded. Looks like it’s going to remain gutter scraps for a while.
Hopefully, they are waiting to see what they actually have. The 2021 season showed a lot of promise, and this team was predicted to play .500 ball or better and contend for a wild card. This is basically that same team, without Candelario. Injuries and bad hitting from essentially everyone but Haase made 2022 a disaster. With any luck on the health front, plus with changing the hitting coaches, they should be better than expected. Harris certainly hasn’t strengthened the team with his “churning” so far.
Another “great” move by the Tigers! Look like they’re dedicating the 2023 season to the 20th anniversary of their dismal 2003 season to see if they can lose more than 119 games and get the 1st overall pick in 2024.
What a joke of an off season and they are making it very hard on their sales team who has to sell season tickets as you have to be insane to invest in this piece of garbage of a product
While there’s got to be a plan, so far 2023 looks a little gruesome so far this offseason.
Definitely need a couple of bats
Still way too early to panic. I’m guessing there’s a couple of trades coming, pitchers for prospects. I’m also giving Harris the benefit of the doubt, at least for now
I’m looking, have been looking, and will keep looking, but see nothing to indicate Scott Harris has been earning your doubt benefit.
Another FZ, all these guys trying to be Billy Bean on the early 2000’s but in places like SF and Detroit, all trying to use sabermetrics and catch lightning in a bottle. Meanwhile Atlanta, LA, Houston Toronto Philly and NYM put a quality product on the field year after year.
It just gets stranger and stranger.
Unlike De Jesus, Logue can be a starter and pitches left-handed (which has become a rare distinction among Tigers prospects). De Jesus’ performance at AAA this year wasn’t overly convincing, either. Therefore I understand why the Tigers preferred Logue, probably trying to sneak De Jesus through waivers in the process.
After scouting the statline I find it very interesting, how different (and disastrous) Logue’s numbers have become after his trade to Oakland. So there is a little bit of hope that a different approach might lead him back to what he showed throughout his Toronto tenure.
Developing young pitchers into potential major-leaguers has been perhaps lone bright spot for the Tigers this year. May Logue be just the next Wentz, Brieske, Hill or Faedo!
Gruß,
BSHH
I’m almost wondering if Harris isn’t stock piling arms because he’s gunna make a huge trade for offense. The offense was atrocious last season so I don’t care if he’s (Harris) is new to the organization or not, everyone knows Detroit needs offense desperately. Candelario’s gone and nobody has been acquired, offensively speaking. Unless you count the minor league OFer they got for Jimenez.
Do the Reds really want to just eat MILLIONS of dollars on Moosedxng?
One HECK of a way to run a business, isn’t it? Must be nice……
You think a men like Mr. Illich, Mr. Harris and Mr. Hinch, would see an opportunity there?
……see, right now, they are all at home and I’m thinking Tiger baseball…lol
God Bless ‘Em
Tell Klubot.you want to trade him.
Tigers pounce.