The Tigers signed an infielder/outfielder Jahmai Jones in a minor league deal, by Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. An ACES client will receive an invitation to the big league training season and will make an $810K salary if they crack the big league roster.
The 27-year-old Jones was once a hot prospect but has yet to get a chance in the big leagues, though he often pitches well in the minors. He spent most of 2024 with the Yankees, albeit in a limited role. They said he was off waivers from the Brewers in February, but he was past his option age and needed to stay on the roster. The Yanks kept him around for more than four months but gave him 47 plate appearances in that time. He was released from the roster in early August.
Jones now has a .198/.257/.278 batting line in his major league career, though the 137 plate appearances were spread over four different seasons. After being cleared by the Yanks, he produced a solid .304/.390/.490 line in 34 Triple-A games, resulting in a 131 wRC+. This gives him a .276/.408/.471 line over 564 Triple-A plate appearances over the past two years.
He hasn’t been able to bring that kind of production to the majors yet, but there’s no harm in a minor league deal and he’s a reasonable guy to take a shot at. He was a second-round pick of the Angels in 2015 and received top 100 love in subsequent years. Despite the many years that have passed since then, he is still young and continues to put up good numbers on the farm.
He could be a good fit for any club on a minor league deal but may be a better fit for the Tigers, as he is a right-handed hitter who has played second base and outfield in his career. The Tigers have a left-handed pitcher in the keystone Colt Keith while their outside mix includes lefties Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter, Places to stay in Parker Meadows again Akil Baddoo. They have it too Jace Jung you might be the third, Trey Sweeney at shortstop as well Zach McKinstry in the role of help, each of those three is also left.
Perhaps there is a way for Jones to serve as the right-handed complement to that team in a multi-position role. If he ends up breaching the deal, he’s out of options but has less than a year of service left, meaning he could be kept on the cheap for next season as well.
Source link
