Tigers Bring in Former Twins Lefty for Pitching Depth

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Kristie Ackert | Last updated Jul 8, 2025 1:13 PM ET

The Tigers are making a low-risk pitching addition. Detroit signed left-hander Devin Smeltzer to a minor league deal and assigned him to Triple-A Toledo. At the same time, the club released Manuel Margot, according to MLB Trade Rumors.

Smeltzer, 29, is a familiar face in the AL Central after spending most of his big-league career with the Twins. The former Dodgers draft pick was traded to Minnesota in the 2018 Brian Dozier deal and pitched parts of four seasons for the Twins between 2019 and 2022.

He was never overpowering—just a 16.5% strikeout rate over 162 1/3 MLB innings—but his control kept him afloat. His walk rate sits at a tidy 6%, and he posted a 3.99 ERA in 140 innings with Minnesota during his peak years.

Smeltzer's last major league action came with the Marlins in 2023, where the home run bug bit hard. He gave up seven long balls in just 22 1/3 innings, ballooning his ERA to 6.45.

This is a depth move for the Tigers, who have had injury issues with pitchers this season. They are expected to be actively shopping for a major league starting pitcher and relievers before the July 31 deadline.

But this season has shown them that you can never have enough pitching insurance.

They already have Sawyer Gipson-Long, Alex Cobb, Jackson Jobe, Ty Madden and Jose Urquidy on the injured list. Jobe’s season is over due to Tommy John surgery. Cobb hasn’t pitched yet this year.

The Tigers also designated Manuel Margot. The veteran outfielder had been playing on a minor league deal after being DFA’d earlier this season and now hits the market looking for another opportunity.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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