The Detroit Tigers’ pitching staff has been a whirlwind of change and uncertainty in the wake of the 2025 MLB trade deadline, with the spotlight falling squarely on Chris Paddack’s tumultuous stint in the Motor City. Acquired from the Minnesota Twins on July 28, 2025, along with Randy Dobnak in exchange for catching prospect Enrique Jimenez, Paddack was expected to bolster the Tigers’ rotation for a postseason push. Instead, a string of subpar performances and subsequent roster moves have left fans and analysts alike questioning the wisdom of Detroit’s midseason strategy.
Let’s rewind. The Tigers, sitting among baseball’s elite in late July, didn’t appear desperate for starting pitching. Yet, with Reese Olson’s season abruptly ended by a shoulder strain, Detroit’s front office swung for reinforcements. First came Paddack from the Twins, then Charlie Morton from the Baltimore Orioles on deadline day. Troy Melton and Keider Montero, internal candidates for rotation spots, found themselves either shuffled to the bullpen or demoted to Triple-A. The message was clear: Detroit was all-in, even if the acquisitions raised a few eyebrows.
Paddack’s arrival was met with cautious optimism, but the numbers quickly told a different story. He posted a 5.40 ERA over six starts for the Tigers, a figure that only worsened when you dig into the details. Two disastrous outings against his former team, the Twins, yielded 12 runs and five home runs in just 9 2/3 innings. On August 5 in Detroit, Paddack was tagged for four runs on six hits—including two homers. The encore on August 17 at Target Field was even rougher: eight runs on nine hits and three walks. As one Twins writer quipped, “The Twins have hit Paddack well both times they've faced him since trading him.”
While those starts inflated his ERA, Paddack’s other outings were serviceable but hardly spectacular. He debuted with a six-inning, one-run performance against the Diamondbacks and shut down the White Sox over 5 2/3 innings. But inconsistency became the theme. His most recent start on August 29 against the Royals lasted just 3 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on five hits before manager AJ Hinch pulled the plug. “I’ve been waiting for you guys to ask me,” Hinch said, revealing Paddack’s move to the bullpen after the Tigers’ game against the Mets on September 2.
The bullpen experiment, however, got off to a rocky start. Entering with one out in the sixth inning against the Mets, Paddack escaped the frame unscathed. But the seventh inning unraveled quickly: back-to-back homers to All-Stars Juan Soto and Pete Alonso, followed by four more runs on six hits before he was mercifully lifted. In total, he allowed six runs on eight hits in just 1 1/3 innings as Detroit fell 12-5. That outing marked Paddack’s first relief appearance since September 30, 2023, with the Twins—an active stretch of 703 days as a starter.
Detroit’s rotation now features Tarik Skubal, Jack Flaherty, Casey Mize, and Charlie Morton. Skubal, in the midst of a potential second straight AL Cy Young Award campaign, anchors a staff that’s otherwise searching for answers. Morton, acquired from Baltimore, has struggled even more than Paddack since joining the Tigers, sporting a 5.81 ERA and surrendering a grand slam to the Mets on September 1. Yet, the Tigers appear committed to Morton as a starter, at least for now.
So, who fills Paddack’s vacated spot? The Tigers have options, albeit unconventional ones. Troy Melton and Keider Montero—both shuttled between roles—are candidates, as is Sawyer Gipson-Long, recently recalled. Manager Hinch, no stranger to creative pitching strategies, may turn to bullpen games or deploy reliever Tyler Holton for short starts, backed by long relief from Melton or Gipson-Long. “He’s stretched out to do anything from the bulk relieving to a one-inning burst,” Hinch said of Montero, who was recalled from Triple-A Toledo on September 3 to take Paddack’s roster spot after the right-hander was placed on the bereavement list.
Paddack’s personal circumstances also added to the team’s roster shuffle. He informed the Tigers of a death in his family several days prior to September 2 and stepped away for a memorial service, with the bereavement list allowing up to seven days’ absence. The bullpen remains in flux, with lefty Bailey Horn awaiting the birth of his second child and the Tigers delaying his activation to ensure availability.
The trade that brought Paddack and Dobnak to Detroit continues to draw scrutiny. The Tigers parted with Enrique Jimenez, a 19-year-old switch-hitting catcher and their No. 14 prospect. Since joining the Twins’ organization, Jimenez has impressed at Low-A Fort Myers, hitting .286 with five home runs, 19 walks, and 21 strikeouts in 18 games. In Single-A, he’s slashed .264/.376/.494 with six home runs and 16 RBIs in 87 plate appearances. For a team with an eye on the future, losing such a promising talent has become a sore point, especially as Paddack’s struggles mount.
Across the 2025 season, Paddack has compiled a 5.04 ERA in 27 starts between Minnesota and Detroit. His tenure in Detroit, marked by a 5.40 ERA and a 6.16 FIP over 30 innings, has not lived up to expectations. Critics of Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris have been quick to point out the riskiness of the deadline deals, and the results so far have not silenced the doubters.
For Paddack, the move to the bullpen is a crossroads. Once a coveted free agent-to-be, his recent form leaves his future as a starter in doubt. As one Minnesota columnist observed, “It’s been a mediocre year at best, and a bad one at worst for Paddack. He’ll hit free agency this offseason, but the line of suitors shouldn’t be expected to be long, or lucrative.”
Meanwhile, the Tigers press on, their postseason ambitions undimmed but their pitching plans ever more complicated. With a rotation in flux and the bullpen a revolving door, AJ Hinch faces the challenge head-on. The Tigers have weathered pitching chaos before—last season, they survived stretches with just two reliable starters—and Hinch’s adaptability may once again prove crucial.
As September unfolds, all eyes will be on Detroit’s evolving pitching staff. Will a new hero emerge from the bullpen? Can Paddack redeem himself in a relief role, or will the Tigers’ gamble at the deadline haunt them into October? One thing’s for sure: in the unpredictable world of baseball, the next twist is never far away.
