With Reese Olson injured, here's why the Tigers traded for Chris Paddack

New York Times

5 days ago

DETROIT — The Detroit Tigers' front office maintains a text thread for medical updates. President of baseball operations Scott Harris cringes every time he sees one of those texts light up his phone.
'You open it up, and you just never know what you're gonna find,' Harris said.
Over the past few days, Harris got a few more of those unfortunate messages. The big one was this: Right-handed pitcher Reese Olson is out for the regular season after suffering a shoulder strain. Olson reported discomfort in his Saturday bullpen session. An MRI revealed the strain. He's undergoing further testing before the Tigers will know the full extent of the injury and whether Olson has any chance of pitching this postseason.
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Disheartening as it is, it's likely a good thing the news came now rather than days later. It is trade season, and moves and rumors are flying. Harris went to work, and the Tigers cut a deal with the Minnesota Twins. Detroit acquired right-handed pitchers Chris Paddack and Randy Dobnak in exchange for minor-league catcher Enrique Jimenez on Monday.
Paddack will start for the Tigers on Wednesday. Dobnak will report to Triple A.
'As soon as I heard about Reese, I wanted to make sure that we could strengthen our rotation,' Harris said Monday afternoon. 'It's always hard around the trade deadline. There's a lot of conversations going on, a lot of scenarios for every target available. We were very pleased we were able to add a starter early enough before the trade deadline to strengthen our pitching. Again, we wish we could have added Chris and kept Reese, but that just wasn't in the cards for us.'
Prior to Olson's injury, Paddack did not seem like a pitcher who fit the Tigers' deadline priorities. The 29-year-old right-hander has a 4.49 career ERA. This season with the Twins, Paddack had a 4.95 ERA in 21 starts. Although Paddack has near-elite extension in his delivery and the ability to limit walks, his 17.6 percent strikeout rate is a career low. He profiles more as a strike-throwing innings eater than as the type of frontline starter who could give the Tigers a boost in the postseason.
But especially after the Olson news, innings is exactly what the Tigers need.
'It's hard losing Reese Olson,' manager A.J. Hinch said. 'He's a huge, huge guy that I trust.'
Detroit has ace Tarik Skubal atop its rotation. Casey Mize and Jack Flaherty are capable starters. Since losing Jackson Jobe to a UCL tear, however, the Tigers have largely cycled through starters at the back end of their rotation. Keider Montero has a 4.66 ERA in 73 1/3 innings. Rookie Troy Melton made his second start Monday against Arizona. The likes of Dietrich Enns and Sawyer Gipson-Long have pitched in, too.
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As the season progresses, the Tigers could turn to veteran José Urquidy, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, as an option. Melton could remain in the rotation or move to the bullpen. Paddack could perhaps serve as a more stable rotation option for a staff with its share of questions.
Paddack allowed only one run over six innings in his most recent start against the Dodgers. He is a fly-ball pitcher who will not be hurt by Comerica Park's expansive dimensions. His 113 location+ rating is another reminder of his above-average command. Paddack is a free agent after the season. Fans might not rush to order his jersey, but there will be a role for him to fill in this Tigers' rotation.
'We really like his fastball,' Harris said. 'He's a plus strike-thrower with at least plus extension. We still feel like he has the weapons to attack hitters in different ways. We feel like he fits our ballpark really well, and he makes hitters uncomfortable. He goes right after hitters. That's always been our pitching philosophy, and we think he's gonna fit in really well here.'
Dobnak, the other pitcher acquired in the deal, will report to Triple-A Toledo. Dobnak has thrown only 15 innings in the major leagues since 2021. He had a 7.12 ERA in 60 2/3 innings in Triple A this season. The 30-year-old is making $3 million in 2025 and might not amount to anything more than depth for the Tigers.
His contract structure, however, is interesting: Dobnak has team options for each of the next three seasons, worth $6 million, $7 million and $8.5 million, respectively. The buyout for next year's option is $1 million but declines to only $100,000 for 2027 and 2028.
Moving Dobnak's salary and buyout could have played a role in the Twins' decision to include him in this trade.
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'It's a guy who has pitched in the big leagues,' Harris said. 'He knows what it takes to pitch in the big leagues. This time of year, we want to get as much pitching as we can.'
Jimenez is a 19-year-old who was hitting .250 with a .339 on-base percentage in rookie ball. The Athletic ranked him as Detroit's No. 12 prospect. Keith Law wrote Jimenez projects as 'at least a solid backup with a chance for more.'
Jimenez is a decent prospect to send to a division foe in exchange for a rental pitcher and a glorified project in Dobnak. But the Tigers' system depth at catcher, highlighted by Thayron Liranzo and catcher/first baseman Josue Briceno, seemingly made Detroit more comfortable trading Jimenez.
'We have a couple pretty famous prospects coming through the system that we're excited about,' Harris said. 'We felt like given our needs in the rotation, especially after the Reese news, that it was something we had to give up to add a starter to our mix.'
The Tigers also put center fielder Parker Meadows on the 10-day injured list with a right quad strain as part of a flurry of roster moves Monday.
Because Paddack has not yet joined the active roster, the Tigers had two open spots for Olson and Meadows. Utility players Andy Ibáñez and Ryan Kreidler joined the Tigers on Monday.
The Meadows injury is a particularly difficult blow for a player who already endured a lengthy IL stint with a nerve issue in his throwing arm earlier this season.
Meadows had — and still has — a chance to be a real X-factor for the Tigers down the stretch. Meadows had an .840 OPS and played top-tier defense in center field in August and September last season. But Meadows struggled to shake off rust after finally returning from the IL in 2025. He was hitting only .200 in 38 games this season.
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In Sunday's victory against the Blue Jays, the Tigers noticed something off with Meadows both on the field and in the bases. Hinch pinch-hit for Meadows with Jahmai Jones — something that did not seem unusual at the time — in the eighth inning despite a large Tigers lead. Meadows had been getting treatment on his quad, and subsequent testing revealed a strain.
'Fortunately, we think we caught it early,' Harris said. 'There won't be a tear or a high-grade strain. We're hopeful that he will be back soon. He's still going through some tests, so I can't really forecast his return to play, but I think the good part is we caught it early.'
Matt Vierling is the most likely to see time in center field in Meadows' absence, with Javier Báez and Wenceel Pérez also in the mix.
(Top photo of Chris Paddack: Stephen Maturen / Getty Images)