Once-promising player lost by Tigers to division rival Twins in free agency.
This offseason, the Detroit Tigers have been among the teams with the most activity on the free agent market. Three recent marquee additions, Jack Flaherty, Andrew Chafin, and Kenta Maeda, will all be able to contribute right away to the team on a major league level. To increase their depth options in the farm system, the Tigers have also signed 11 players, primarily pitchers, to minor league contracts.
Not with Detroit, though, a former Tiger was recently signed to a minor league contract. Niko Goodrum signed with the division rival Minnesota Twins on December 14, returning to MLB following a brief stint in the KBO and to the team that drafted him. Goodrum spent four seasons with the Tigers before being DFA’d in 2021.
Niko Goodrum, once a promising player for the Tigers, leaves free agency to join the division rival Twins.
Goodrum was outright granted free agency after playing in just 11 games for the Twins in 2017, and he subsequently inked a minor league contract with the Tigers. After making the Detroit Opening Day roster in 2018 after a strong spring training, he went on to play in 131 games for the Tigers that season. In an unexpected and very promising rookie season, he batted.245/.315/.432 with 16 home runs and 53 RBI, earning him the title of Detroit Tigers Rookie of the Year.
He played in 112 games in 2019 and finished with similar stats, but in 2020 and 2021 he fell off significantly. Due to injuries and subpar play, he saw his playing time decrease before being outrighted once more, choosing to exercise his right to free agency, and agreeing to a minor league contract with the Astros for 2022. The Astros released him following 15 unsatisfactory major league games in Houston, where he posted a.116/.156/.163 line. In December 2022, the Red Sox acquired him. His failure to make the major league roster in Boston brought him to the KBO, which brings us to the present day.
Although the Tigers will likely find it easy to let go of this rival signing, the Twins may see something in Goodrum that they can develop in their farm system. We can only wish Goodrum luck for the time being. It might be a different story if he manages to pull off the comeback of the century by returning to the majors and giving the Tigers some trouble while they try to win the division.
Following a 2023 championship run, the Erie SeaWolves on Tuesday unveiled a roster that features a number of returning familiar faces in an attempt to win the championship again.
For his third season back in charge of Double-A, Gabe Alvarez is back. Alvarez led the SeaWolves to a 155-120 record in his first two seasons in charge, including consecutive first-place finishes in the Southwest Division. In 2023, he received the title of Manager of the Year.
“I couldn’t be happier,” Alvarez exclaimed. “We discussed a few other options, but in the end, I am really appreciative that the Tigers sent me back to Erie.”
Alvarez, along with Chris Cron and Lance Parrish, is just the third manager in SeaWolves history to oversee the team for three or more seasons.
The SeaWolves captain will have bench coach Matt Malott and pitching coach Juan Pimentel back on his staff. In 2024, hitting coach C.J. Warmsley becomes a member of the Erie coaching staff for the first time.
“It’s huge to have Juan Pimentel and Matt Malott back,” Alvarez remarked. Together with our hitting coach Frankie Contreras, who is moving to West Michigan, they were very important. Without them, we could not have prevailed.”
For his second season in Erie, Pimentel is back. Last season, he assisted in leading a pitching staff that was promoted multiple times, first to Triple-A Toledo and then to Detroit. He assisted Reese Olson in shattering the SeaWolves’ all-time record for strikeouts in a season, which had stood since 1999.
“He can appropriately explain it to every guy. With Juan, it’s not a formulaic approach,” Alvarez remarked. He strikes a chord with every player. Knowing the material and being able to present it to them in the form of a spreadsheet or video is one thing, but being able to actually put it into practice and carry it out is something that not everyone is capable of, and Juan is very good at it.”
The Erie SeaWolves take on Binghamton on April 9 at UPMC Park to start their home schedule for the 2024 season, which begins in Harrisburg.
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