The Tigers re-signed the right-hander Wilmer Flores and midfielder/outfielder Eddys Leonard in minor league deals, reports Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. Flores will make $1MM at his best while Leonard will get the league minimum of $760K.
Neither player has major league experience but both were on the Tigers’ 40-man roster until recently. Both were plagued by injury-plagued seasons this year before being non-tendered by the Tigers last month. That sent both to free agency without exposure to waivers but each is now back in undrafted capacity.
Flores, not to be confused with his older brother of the same name, is a right-handed striker who turns 24 in February. He posted solid numbers as a starting pitcher as he climbed the minor league ladder and was added to the 40-man roster last year to prevent him from being selected in the Rule 5 draft. That’s despite him struggling late in the 2023 season as his velocity dipped.
He was moved to a starting relief role in 2024 but didn’t take it immediately. As Petzold noted, he missed three months with a shoulder injury and the numbers weren’t great on the mound. He threw 25 1/3 innings at the Triple-A level, allowing an 8.53 ERA with nine earned runs. His 18% strikeout rate was low and his 18.8% walk rate was disastrous.
As for Leonard, he was once a Dodger prospect, added to that team’s roster prior to the 2021 Rule 5 draft. He was designated for assignment in the summer of 2023 and then went to the Tigers for cash. Per Petzold, a left oblique strain put him on the IL earlier in the year, followed by a right hamstring later. He only appeared in 67 Triple-A games and hit .263/.326/.455, averaging a 101 wRC+. He completed his final year in this program.
The Tigers weren’t committed to keeping either player on the roster after struggling in 2024, but they still like both of them enough to bring them back and see if things can turn around in 2025. Flores gives the staff – depth to the system while Leonard does the same for the rest of the roster. He has experience in all three outfield positions and three infield positions in left field at first base.
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