Last month, the Detroit Tigers said goodbye to a couple of members in their bullpen, as they try to find some solutions ahead of the trade deadline later this month.
The Tigers’ bullpen isn’t the worst in the majors or the American League, as they have a 3.97 ERA, ranking 16th in baseball. However, Detroit’s bullpen ERA was 4.44 in June, but opponents’ BAbip was only .276.
Therefore, the Tigers decided to DFA relievers John Brebbia and Matt Gage to see if they could find a better option.
Brebbia was ultimately released on Jun. 19 and didn’t have to wait to find his next opportunity as he signed a minor league deal with the Atlanta Braves five days later. Gage will be joining Brebbia in the National League, as he reportedly picked up a minor league deal.
Ex-Tigers Southpaw Matt Gage Joins San Francisco Giants
On Wednesday, the 32-year-old Gage signed a minor league pact with the San Francisco Giants, according to MiLB.com’s transactions log.
The #SFGiants have signed LHP Matt Gage to a contract and assigned him to Sacramento. He was originally a 10th-round pick by the Giants in 2014. Gage has a 1.42 ERA in 22 MLB appearances.
— Jeff Young (@BaseballJeff1) July 3, 2025
The ex-Tigers pitcher was reportedly assigned to Triple-A Sacramento, where he will begin his trek back to the major leagues. The Giants are familiar with Gage as they drafted him in the 10th round in the 2014 MLB Amateur Draft.
The left-handed reliever spent 3.5-plus seasons in the Giants’ farm system before being released in July 2018, where he would sign a month later with the New York Mets.
As for his time with the Tigers, Gage signed a minor league contract in December 2024. He started the year at Triple-A Toledo, posting a 1.67 ERA across 23 appearances out of the pen.
The Tigers eventually purchased Gage’s contract from Triple-A, bringing him to the big league club on Jun. 12. However, the veteran reliever only spent two weeks with the club, who kicked him to the curb for another lefty in Dietrich Enns.
Gage made six appearances in the Motor City, posting a perfect 0.00 ERA. He also only gave up seven hits and two walks, while recording three strikeouts in 5.2 innings. In Gage’s limited appearances, opponents were hitting .304 with a .350 BABIP.
After getting pushed aside abruptly by the Tigers, it will be interesting to see if ex-Detroit reliever can resurface in the majors with San Francisco.