"The Tigers signed reliever Burch Smith to a minor league contract, reports Evan Petzold of The Detroit Free-Press. The righty receives an invitation to MLB camp and will be guaranteed a $1.5MM base salary if he makes the big league roster. Smith, 36 in April, has played for seven big league clubs over a 15-year career that has taken him around the globe."
"Smith has pitched in Japan and Korea in addition to seven seasons at the Triple-A level. He has gotten to the majors in parts of six campaigns, working to a 5.79 ERA through 247 1/3 career innings. The Oklahoma product's most recent MLB action came in 2024. He divided that season evenly between the Marlins and Orioles, allowing just under five earned runs per nine over 56 1/3 frames."
Tigers signed reliever Burch Smith to a minor-league contract that includes an MLB camp invitation and a $1.5MM base salary guarantee if he makes the big-league roster. Smith, who turns 36 in April, has a 15-year professional career spanning seven MLB clubs plus stints in Japan and Korea and seven Triple-A seasons. He owns a 5.79 ERA across 247 1/3 career MLB innings. In 2024 he split time with the Marlins and Orioles, allowing just under five earned runs per nine in 56 1/3 innings. He posted a 7.08 ERA in 19 Triple-A outings for Indianapolis in 2025 with a near 27% strikeout rate and a 12.2% walk rate and was released in July. Smith remained unsigned for the rest of 2025 and then produced a solid winter stint in the Dominican Republic (20:6 K/BB, three runs in 15 1/3 innings). The Tigers add him to a deep group of non-roster bullpen arms that includes Tanner Rainey, Sean Guenther, Scott Effross, Dugan Darnell, Jack Little, Tyler Mattison, and Cole Waites.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]