Story by
Detroit Tigers sign John Brebbia to 1-year, $2.25 million contract with 2026 club option
- Story by
- Detroit Tigers sign John Brebbia to 1-year, $2.25 million contract with 2026 club option
LAKELAND, Fla. — The Detroit Tigers bolstered their bullpen on the same day pitchers and catchers reported to spring training.
The Tigers signed right-handed reliever John Brebbia to a one-year, $2.25 million contract with a $4 million club option for the 2026 season. The contract includes a $500,000 buyout if the option isn't picked up by the Tigers. Therefore, Brebbia is guaranteed to make at least $2.75 million.
Advertisement
The deal became official Wednesday night.
HOT TOPIC: Tigers want 'special guy' Alex Bregman as spring training begins
To create room for Brebbia on the 40-man roster, the Tigers placed right-handed reliever Alex Lange on the 60-day injured list with a right lat strain.
There are six relievers locked into eight spots on the 2025 Opening Day roster: Brebbia, right-hander Tommy Kahnle , right-hander Jason Foley , left-hander Tyler Holton , right-hander Will Vest and right-hander Beau Brieske .
Two spots remain up for grabs with 43 days until Opening Day.
ALREADY INJURED: New Tigers pitcher Alex Cobb suffers right hip injury, won't be ready for Opening Day
Advertisement
Brebbia, who turns 35 in late May, has performance bonuses in his contract for both the 2025 and 2026 seasons, allowing him to earn $250,000 for 50, 55, 60 and 65 games pitched and $250,000 for 40, 45, 50 and 55 games finished. Reaching all the bonuses would unlock an additional $2 million per season.
Brebbia also has escalators for the 2026 club option based off 2025 performance, increasing the club option by $500,000 for 65 games pitched, $1 million for 45 and 50 games pitched and $2 million for 55 games finished. Reaching all of the escalators would increase the club option from $4 million to $8 million.
In total, Brebbia can earn a maximum of $14.25 million over two years with the Tigers.
[ MUST LISTEN: Make "Days of Roar" your go-to Detroit Tigers podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts ( Apple , Spotify ) ]
Advertisement
.oembed-frame {width:100%;height:100%;margin:0;border:0;}
Brebbia posted a 5.86 ERA with 19 walks and 67 strikeouts across 55⅓ innings in 59 games for the Chicago White Sox (54 games) and Atlanta Braves (five games) in the 2024 season. He ranked in the 51st percentile with a 7.9% walk rate and the 81st percentile with a 27.7% strikeout rate.
Brebbia threw two pitch types last season: 51.8% sliders and 48.2% four-seam fastballs. His fastball averaged 93.8 mph, while his slider had a 25.5% whiff rate. He allowed a ton of fly balls and rarely induced ground balls.
This story will be updated.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold .
Advertisement
Listen to our weekly Tigers show "Days of Roar" every Monday afternoon on demand at freep.com, Apple , Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts .
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers sign John Brebbia to 1-year, $2.25 million contract
