The Detroit Tigers made a surprising run to the playoffs last season and ever since then, it’s felt like they’ve been rolling sevens. The Tigers offseason moves from last winter have mostly been hits as they’ve built a roster that currently has the best record in the American League (46-26) and has the second-best winning percentage (.634) entering Sunday’s series finale with the Cincinnati Reds.
With another playoff run imminent and the possibility of a deep October run, the Tigers look poised to take the next step. But there’s one move that has become one of their few busts and time could be running out to turn it around after his performance this weekend.
Tigers Reliever John Brebbia Approaching Bust Status After WeekendPerformance Against Reds
John Brebbia was a late addition for the Tigers last offseason when he signed a one-year deal last February. The right-hander had a previous connection with president of baseball operations Scott Harris time with the San Francisco Giants and it happened to be two of the best years of his career, posting a 3.47 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 106.1 innings between the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
While there may be fond memories, Brebbia didn’t look like the same pitcher once he left following the 2024 season. He posted an 0-6 record and a 6.29 ERA in 54 games with the Chicago White Sox before he was designated for assignment last August, but he showed promise by allowing two runs and striking out nine batters in 6.2 innings after being claimed on waivers by the Atlanta Braves.
The late-season performance convinced Brebbia to reunite with Harris this summer, but it appears that partnership is already on thin ice. Brebbia started the year strong allowing one earned run and striking out nine batters in his first eight appearances but landed on the injured list with a right triceps strain. While he returned on May 10, the results have been disastrous as allowed 15 earned runs and posted a 13.97 ERA over his last 11 appearances.
That stretch includes an ugly weekend against the Reds where Brebbia allowed three runs in 0.1 of an inning in an 11-5 win on Friday night and allowed three more runs in an inning of work in Saturday’s 11-1 loss. Evan Petold of The Detroit Free Press also spotted Brebbia having a “longer than normal” conversation with manager A.J. Hinch after throwing the eighth inning on Saturday, which could lead to some curiosity moving forward.
“He wanted to take the brunt of the rest of the game,” Hinch said via Petold. “He wanted to make sure that I wasn’t going to go to somebody else in the bullpen, where we were with the score. He was volunteering to go back out. I was just telling him now. If we had scored two runs and gotten within the threshold where a pitcher would have had to pitch, then he would have gone back out. I was just letting him know why I was doing it. One, it was to protect him. And two, at that point in the game, him going out and throwing another 15 to 25 pitches, didn’t help him, didn’t help us.”
A.J. Hinch on the conversation with John Brebbia in the dugout: https://t.co/xCFTP4Dqb5 pic.twitter.com/tGhT56tTSK
— Evan Petzold (@EvanPetzold) June 14, 2025
Petzold noted that Brebbia threw 53 pitches in the two outings over the weekend and Hinch admitted that had part to do with the outcome. But the result of Brebbia’s outings definitely raises some concern as he heads into the second half of the season.
It’s possible Brebbia could recover from his injury and be a key for Detroit down the stretch. It’s just not working at the moment. If he doesn’t improve, it could lead the Tigers looking for another bullpen arm and leave Brebbia looking for another job in the second half.