Tigers sign Vierling, Brieske, Rogers; non-tender Ibáñez

Andy Ibáñez provided the key pinch-hit that lifted the Tigers past the Astros and into the AL Division Series a year ago. He’s now a free agent after the Tigers did not tender the veteran infielder a contract by Friday’s deadline.

It’s a sign of how quickly fortunes can change in baseball.

The Tigers tendered contracts to 11 of their 12 arbitration-eligible players on Friday, including back-to-back AL Cy Young award winner Tark Skubal; All-Stars Riley Greene, Zach McKinstry and Casey Mize; and sluggers Spencer Torkelson and Kerry Carpenter. They avoided arbitration with others by reaching agreement on one-year contracts with outfielder Matt Vierling ($3,255,000), reliever Beau Brieske ($1,157,500) and catcher Jake Rogers ($3,050,000).

But they cut loose Ibáñez, not a surprising decision after a 2025 season that saw him spend a stretch at Triple-A Toledo while having his role filled by a callup.

For three years, the 32-year-old Ibáñez had been a shining example of Tigers manager A.J. Hinch’s mix-and-match philosophy to put players in the best position to make an impact. For the right-handed hitter, that meant days in the lineup against left-handed pitchers and pinch-hit opportunities against southpaw relievers. His 10 pinch-hits in 2024 ranked second in the Majors to Randal Grichuk, and he hit .292/.357/.445 against southpaws overall that regular season.

But Ibáñez will always be remembered that year for his pinch-hit, three-run double off Astros reliever Josh Hader in Game 2 of the AL Wild Card Series, sending the Tigers on their way to a sweep in Houston. It was the first go-ahead pinch-hit in Tigers postseason history.

The Tigers avoided arbitration with Ibáñez last winter on a one-year, $1.4 million contract, and he slugged a three-run homer off lefty Carlos Rodón to power the Tigers past the Yankees on April 7 at Comerica Park. But that big hit was the exception in a slow start to his season, which combined with Jahmai Jones’ hot start in Toledo, led the Tigers to option Ibáñez on June 6.

Ibáñez worked on his swing in Toledo and earned a call back to Detroit at the end of July. But by then, Jones had established himself as the pinch-hit and lefty-hitting specialist of choice. Ibáñez platooned with Colt Keith and Zach McKinstry at third base, but he earned only one at-bat and one late-game appearance in the Tigers’ eight postseason games.

With No. 6 prospect Hao-Yu Lee and No. 9 prospect Max Anderson, both right-handed-hitting infielders, knocking on Detroit’s door, the Tigers can go young with the role for 2026. Lee posted a .919 OPS against left-handed pitching at Triple-A Toledo last season. Anderson hit southpaws for a .341 average and 1.017 OPS between Toledo and Double-A Erie before tearing up the Arizona Fall League.

The Tigers faced an interesting decision with Brieske. One of the recent success stories of the Tigers farm system, Brieske rose from a 27th-round pick in the 2019 Draft out of Colorado State-Pueblo to the big leagues just three years later. He filled a rotation spot in Detroit for half of the 2022 season, missed much of 2023 with a right ulnar nerve entrapment, then bounced back to fill a do-everything role in the bullpen in 2024. Though he made 12 starts, most of those were as an opener, 10 of them during the Tigers’ incredible stretch run. He was the first Tigers pitcher since 1929 to start consecutive games on consecutive days.

Brieske pitched to a 1.99 ERA over the final couple months, then pitched in six of the Tigers’ seven postseason games, earning the save in Game 1 of their Wild Card Series in Houston and Game 2 of the ALDS in Cleveland. He is the only Tiger in history to record a save in his postseason debut.

Brieske entered 2025 poised to build on that momentum, but never found his form before he couldn’t find his health. He blew a two-run lead in extra innings at Dodger Stadium, capped by Mookie Betts’ walk-off three-run homer, and gave up runs in seven of his first 12 appearances. A five-run inning against the Orioles on June 11 led the Tigers to option him to Toledo, where he had two more five-run appearances in three weeks before going on the Triple-A injured list with a right forearm strain.

Brieske did not pitch again this season. He’s scheduled to begin a throwing progression this week.

Brieske’s return provides some continuity to a Tigers bullpen that has lost Jason Foley, Alex Lange and Sean Guenther in recent moves. Fellow arbitration-eligible relievers Tyler Holton and Will Vest were also tendered contracts.

Vierling, a second-time arbitration eligible who agreed to a $3,005,000 deal last winter, battled shoulder issues for much of the year. He played in 31 games, batting .239/.310/.307 with three doubles, a home run and 11 RBIs. But with health, there’s hope he can regain his form from 2024, when he was a 3.0 bWAR player for the Tigers while batting .257/.312/.423 with 16 home runs, 57 RBIs and 106 OPS+.

Rogers made $2,640,000 this past season, which began with him handling primary duties behind the plate but evolved to him backing up Dillon Dingler after missing six weeks with an oblique injury. He hit .187/.277/.333 with three homers, 19 RBIs and a 0.2 bWAR. The 30-year-old could’ve been a non-tender candidate, but with his defensive and game-calling skills well-valued and his salary in line with recent deals for veteran catchers on the open market, the Tigers wanted him back. He’ll be eligible for free agency next winter along with Skubal and Mize.