Detroit Tigers Avoid Arbitration With Workhorse Reliever, Agree to One-Year Deal
The deadline to agree to contracts with players who are arbitration-eligible to avoid having to go through that process has been a busy one for the Detroit Tigers.
Two of their 10 players eligible agreed to deals back in November; Zach McKinstry settled for $1.65 million and Andy Ibanez settled for $1.4 million.
Just ahead of the deadline, another wave of deals got done, as six more players agreed to deals for the 2025 season to avoid going to arbitration.
One of those players was relief pitcher Will Vest, who agreed to a one-year, $1.4 million deal according to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press.
Source: Will Vest and #Tigers agree on $1.4 million contract for 2025, avoiding arbitration.
— Evan Petzold (@EvanPetzold) January 9, 2025
This was the first time in his career that the right-handed reliever was eligible for arbitration, as his salary for the upcoming season is nearly doubling from the $760,700 that he earned in 2024.
He found a lot of success, emerging as a reliable option for manager A.J. Hinch as part of his “pitching chaos” strategy. Needing to find a way to eat innings with limited starting pitching options, he used openers with bulk pitchers behind them and full bullpen games on some days.
Vest made 69 appearances during the regular season, including 14 starts, as he was a workhorse for the Tigers. He threw 70.1 innings with 63 strikeouts, recording a 2.82 ERA and an identical 2.82 FIP.
That reliability did not stop in the playoffs as Hinch called upon him to pitch in six out of their seven games in October. He threw 6.0 innings, surrendering only one earned run on three hits with nine strikeouts.
Vest recorded a save in Game 2 of the ALWC to secure the series over the Houston Astros and pitched in all but Game 1 against the Cleveland Guardians in the ALDS.
His production has been strong the last two campaigns, recording an ERA under 3.00 both times and locking down a prominent role in the pecking order.
Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.