3 ex-Tigers file for free agency

While the Tigers and the MLB playoffs roll on into the division series, a group of players – including three former Tigers – are moving on from their organizations via minor league free agency.

Nine players have elected free agency since the season ended, according to MLB Trade Rumors. To be eligible, players need to be removed from a team's 40-man roster during the year and have a requisite amount of service time.

The most notable of those among former Tigers is infielder Nick Maton, who spent the 2023 season with the Tigers organization, including 93 games in the big leagues.

He hit .173 in those games and his contract was purchased by the Orioles earlier this year. Maton spent most of the 2024 season in AAA before being called up to join the Orioles in September. He played in five games before being designated for assignment.

Former Tigers third-round pick Rob Brantly also elected for free agency out of the Rays organization. Brantly spent parts of three seasons in the Tigers organization after being picked in 2010 out of California-Riverside before being traded to the Marlins in 2012 in a deal that brought Omar Infante and Anibal Sanchez to Detroit. He has played in 137 games in nine years with six teams and spent most of 2024 in AAA with Toronto and Tampa Bay.

Pitcher Erasmo Ramirez, who appeared in 17 games with the Tigers in 2021, was also awarded free agency this past week.

Major League players can become free agents five days after the end of the World Series.