The Tigers have signed right-hander Ryan Miller to a minor league deal, per Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. The righty receives an invite to big league spring training and will make a salary of $800K if he makes the major league club next year.
Miller, 29 in March, just made his major league debut with the Angels. Getting selected to the roster in late August, he tossed 13 innings for the Halos, allowing six earned runs, striking out 11 opponents while walking eight. He was designated for assignment at the end of the season when the club signed Kyle Hendricks and later released.
That’s not much of a sample to go on, so the Tigers are probably giving more weight to his minor league performance. He tossed 62 1/3 innings over 34 appearances at the Triple-A level in 2024, only allowing 2.45 earned runs per nine despite pitching in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. He paired a 24.6% strikeout rate with a 5.6% walk rate. His 2023 was somewhat similar, as he tossed 60 1/3 innings over 41 Double-A appearances in the Red Sox’ system with a 4.03 ERA, 25.8% strikeout rate and 7.3% walk rate.
The Tigers are likely intrigued by those strikeout and walk numbers, so they will bring Miller aboard for some non-roster depth. If he earns his way into a roster spot at any point, he still has a full slate of options.