Tigers Re-Sign Tanner Rainey to Minor League Deal for 2025

The Detroit Tigers are taking a low-risk, potentially high-reward gamble on veteran reliever Tanner Rainey. They re-signed the right-hander to a minor league deal after previously designating him for assignment and non-tendering him.

This move trims payroll and keeps a once-impactful bullpen arm in the system. Detroit gets another lottery ticket in a relief market where upside is hard to find.

Why the Tigers Brought Tanner Rainey Back

The decision to re-sign Rainey is about roster economics as much as performance. By non-tendering him earlier, the Tigers avoided paying his projected $1.6 million arbitration salary.

Now, with a minor league contract, they keep the arm without a big financial commitment. It feels like a modern front office move—retain depth, minimize risk, and maybe a veteran reliever finds his groove again in a lower-pressure spot.

The Financial Angle: Saving Money While Keeping Depth

Under arbitration, Rainey’s projected $1.6 million salary just didn’t match his recent performance. By cutting ties and then re-signing him to a minor league pact, Detroit:

• Ditches a guaranteed seven-figure commitment
• Gains roster flexibility since Rainey won’t take up a 40-man spot
• Holds on to a veteran who could earn his way back

Clubs today churn the back end of their bullpen all the time. Moves like this rarely make headlines but can sometimes deliver meaningful innings.

A Rocky 2025 in the Majors, But Signs of Life in Triple-A

On the surface, Rainey’s 2025 line is rough. Between the Pirates and Tigers, he logged just 9 2/3 big league innings and was tagged for an 11.17 ERA.

That number alone shows why he was cut loose. But the Tigers seem to be looking past that small-sample mess, focusing instead on what he did in the minors and what his underlying traits might still offer.

From Pittsburgh to Detroit: A Turbulent Year

Rainey’s 2025 started with a minor league pact in Pittsburgh. He bounced between the big-league club and Triple-A in two separate stints before the Pirates released him in July.

Detroit picked him up soon after, but he spent almost all of his time with Triple-A Toledo, making just two appearances for the Tigers in the majors. While the major league numbers were ugly, his work in Toledo was quietly encouraging: a 2.88 ERA and a 32% strikeout rate.

Those numbers echo the pitcher he once was in Washington—a power reliever who could miss bats at an above-average clip.

The Long Road Back from Tommy John Surgery

Part of Rainey’s recent inconsistency ties directly to health. He underwent Tommy John surgery and spent 2023 working his way back from the procedure.

That rehab process can test a pitcher’s command more than his raw stuff. Even in 2024, a year after surgery, the results were mixed and suggested he was still searching for full feel on the mound.

Control Problems That Just Won’t Go Away

In 2024, Rainey posted a 4.76 ERA over 51 innings. The bigger concern wasn’t the ERA—it was the drop in strikeouts. His strikeout rate fell to 19%, below league average, while his walk rate jumped to 12.6%.

Those control issues followed him into 2025. Even during his encouraging Triple-A run with Toledo, the walks kept coming, with a 13.6% walk rate.

That’s the glaring red flag that’s kept him from reclaiming a steady major league role. Detroit’s pitching group has to focus on that if there’s any hope for a turnaround.

What Rainey Can Still Offer the Tigers’ Bullpen

Despite all the bumps, Rainey will turn just 33 on Christmas Day and still has the kind of arm strength that scouts notice. Detroit doesn’t need him to be a late-inning star; they just want a usable, stable relief option who can get swings and misses.

On a minor league deal, there’s no real downside. If the control improves even a little, maybe he finds a way back into the mix as a useful part of the relief corps.

A No-Risk, Upside Play for Detroit

The Tigers’ calculus is simple:

• If Rainey sharpens his command, he could step into a middle-inning or low-leverage bullpen job.
• If he keeps struggling with walks, Detroit just moves on. No guaranteed money lost, no drama.
• He brings some veteran depth to camp, which pushes the younger arms and raises the floor for the pitching staff.

For a team that wants a steady pitching pipeline, these are the sorts of quiet moves that can add up over a year. Tanner Rainey probably won’t look like his old Nationals self again, but the Tigers figure there’s still something left to see—especially when it’s on their terms, at their price.

 
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