The Tigers formally announced their previously reported signing of right-hander Alex Cobb this evening. In a corresponding move, outfielder Akil Baddoo was designated for assignment as noted by MLive’s Evan Woodbery.
Baddoo, 26, was a second-round pick by the Twins back in 2016. The outfielder’s major league career wouldn’t begin until 2021, after he was selected by the Tigers in the 2020 Rule 5 Draft. That first taste of big league action went remarkably well for the youngster, as he slashed an impressive .259/.330/.436 with a 108 wRC+ in 124 games for Detroit while splitting time between left field and center. Baddoo’s 26.5% strikeout rate was somewhat elevated, but he made up for it by walking at a healthy 9.8% clip and clubbing 13 homers, seven triples, and 20 doubles while swiping 18 bases during his rookie season.
That combination of power and speed was tantalizing enough that the Tigers stuck with Baddoo on a part-time basis despite lackluster numbers at the plate. Between the 2022 and ’23 season, he hit just .212/.302/.331 (80 wRC+) in 582 combined trips to the plate. While he went a decent 23-for-32 on the bases in those years, his power evaporated as he posted a combined isolated slugging percentage of just .119, down from the solid .177 figure of his rookie campaign. That downturn in performance in conjunction with the emergence of exciting outfield options like Riley Greene and Kerry Carpenter from the Detroit farm system left Baddoo with fewer and fewer big league opportunities as his time in the organization continued.
That dwindling playing time in Detroit came to a head in 2024, as after a winter that saw the Tigers add Mark Canha to the lineup and a phenomenal Spring Training performance from Wenceel Perez, Baddoo found himself as the odd man out on Opening Day. Baddoo was optioned to the minors and ended up spending the overwhelming majority of his 2024 campaign at Triple-A. He made just 82 trips to the plate in the big leagues this past year and struggled badly in that limited time with a .137/.220/.301 slash line and a 32.9% strikeout rate. The Tigers kept him on the roster through last month’s non-tender deadline despite Baddoo being projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz for a $1.6MM salary in his second trip through arbitration, but he’s now lost his 40-man roster spot with the club nonetheless.
Looking ahead, any club in the league will now have the opportunity to claim Baddoo off waivers if the Tigers don’t work out a trade for him within the next few days. The 26-year-old’s combination of youth and past big league success could make him an intriguing option for outfield-needy clubs, although his recent struggles and arbitration-level price tag could turn some potential suitors away.
God he deserved to be dfa’d centuries ago
What did he Baddoo to deserve this?
I only wish I could give more than one thumbs up.
That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me on this board thanks man lol
You must be a dad! (cracking up)
Long overdue. Baddoo hasn’t done anything since 2022. He’s lucky he survived the entirety of 2024.
Signing Cobb for $15 mill. was a surprise; no, a shock! Designation Baddoo was neither.
Best of luck, Akil.
I hope Baddo lands somewhere that will give him a chance to play full time. He’s teased us in Detroit over the years but hasn’t quite figured it out. Here’s hoping he makes it big somewhere
If I’m not mistaken his first landing spot will be in AAA with Detroit
He has to pass through waivers first. Somebody will grab him
The White Sox are stockpiling outfielders cut by other teams. Welcome to Chicago.
Doubt it
IF he passes through waivers. You are correct in that he has never been DFA’d before so he has to accept assignment to AAA by the Tigers if he clears waivers.
This has Cincinnati all over it..
Definitely a dumpster dive special.
Exactly, with the appropriate amount of bounce back upside to trade for low level prospects mid season.
Hot Orioles pick up…and then pass through waivers later…to be picked up by another team…and passed through waivers…to be…
Perfect name, he is Bad, and not in a good way!
Sometimes bad is bad.
He’s not even a great depth option. If you pull him up to replace someone on the IL, chances are he will collide into your center fielder and put him on the IL, too.
Yabbada Baddoo
Not unexpected. There will be others that get similar treatment when the Tigers sign their next free agent.
Angels will take a shot I’m guessing
Akil was a lottery ticket that didn’t pay off. Too bad you can’t steal first base.
Oakland?
There’s no team in Oakland so that’s a good spot for him.
Got an image of him with a bag reporting to the Coliseum trying to figure out why the gates are locked and all the signage is down.
So Mccinstry gets another chance but not Baddoo. Baddoo has actually had a good year unlike Mccinstry. Wonder if it was something else besides their play that made the decision.hmm
137 BA, -.5 WAR and 47 OPS is a good year?
Kellin, I think he meant that Baddoo has one good year (2021) in his career, unlike McKinstry.
I guess you don’t watch the Tigers play.
“Jimmy smokes!”
Smoke em if ya got em
Too bad. there was a time when I thought he could be the next Randy Arozarena. Two poor years in a row though and he wrote himself out of the Tigers plans. I hope he figures things out.
Too bad. He showed such promise in ’21….I’m guessing ML pitchers made an adjustment to him and he couldn’t adjust back??
Welcome to the Rays new centerfielder.
The Rays might be able to fix whatever’s wrong with him.
The Rays are finished. They’ve got so attached to analytics that they don’t care if a guy hits .150 as long as he can catch a ball and hit at a launch angle higher than 60 degrees. Baddoo will fit in just fine and they won’t even try to fix him.
If he was right handed, he would likely still have a spot, but the Tigers stocked up on LH everything. He still has tools.
Needs a minor league contract with a better system of coaches not managers. It’s not entirely his fault and not entirely theirs. Good luck to him.
He should be doing well.
I think he accidentally got bashed in the phycology department but will be back on his feet forthwith!
Do you Akil like Baddoo?
there was a short time where Baddoo was hitting everything — he was in the zone — but the zone moved on him and he went back to cold as ice.
BOO HOO! There is no more Baddoo for fans in the Motor City to enjoy.
After a promising rookie year Baddoo fell of so badly Erykah Badu looked like a better hitter…
It’s beyond disappointing how little the Tigers have done to improve the team so far this offseason. It’s like they’re giving us fans the middle finger as thanks for support this past season and expecting us to come out in droves next year.
Hell never be designated from the list of all time baseball names tho…
The Tiggers say yabba dabba do to Akil
23 SKIDOO BADDOO ! Thanks for playing in Detroit, and we all hope a team signs you to a major league deal. Good luck to/for y0u
Baddo was a very exciting player when he 1st landed there as a Rule 5 pick.
He just got “lost in the shuffle over there”.
Wonder if Badoo had had more minor league development what kind of player he would be now?!
If the A’s or Reds or White Sox or Guardians or Marlins or Rays
would just start him some where in the field and “coach him up”.
then some team might catch lightening in a bottle with Badoo.
Sure, he seemed to always wreak havoc v the Sox so why not
He was not arbitration eligible. Not sure why you guys haven’t corrected that yet.
So far the Tigers have lost a lot of players in both portions of the R5 draft…I guess that indicates the system is pretty healthy. I can’t remember the Tigers losing more than 1-2 before the major league and minor league portions of the draft.