The Tigers announced the signing of right-hander Drew Hutchison to a minor-league contract. MLive.com’s Evan Woodbery (Twitter link) first reported the news yesterday. Hutchison will not report to Major League Spring Training, but he’ll give the Tigers an experienced arm to stash in Triple-A Toledo.
Hutchison spent the 2020 season in independent ball, after pitching for three different organizations (Angels, Twins, Yankees) at the Triple-A level in 2019. Best known for his time as an up-and-coming young starter with the Blue Jays, Hutchison has a 5.10 ERA and 20.6K% over 460 1/3 career innings in the majors, as he has yet to recapture the promise of his early career.
After debuting in 2012, Hutchison hit an immediate roadblock in the form of a Tommy John surgery that sidelined him for the entire 2013 season. He also didn’t pitch in the big leagues in 2017 before returning to toss 42 2/3 combined innings for the Phillies and Rangers in 2018, which marks his last appearance in MLB. Still only 30 years old, Hutchison will get to work out in a familiar locale — he is a native of Lakeland, Florida, where the Tigers hold their Spring Training camp.