Nick Sandlin is heading to A.J. Hinch's organization after an injury-shortened Blue Jays run and a quick stop with the Angels.
The Tigers agreed to a minor league deal with Sandlin, and he is set to report to Triple-A Toledo. The move showed up on the MLB transaction log and was later picked up by MLB Trade Rumors.
For Toronto, Sandlin's time with the club never really got a full chance to breathe. The Blue Jays acquired him from Cleveland in December 2024 as part of the Andrés Giménez trade.
At the time, Sandlin looked like a useful bullpen add. Toronto's official release pointed to a reliever who had just worked a career-high 68 games with a 3.75 ERA in 2024.
But his Blue Jays year turned into a medical grind. Sandlin was placed on the injured list with a right lat strain on April 20, returned on June 20, then went back on the IL on July 8 with right elbow inflammation.
That second setback finished the story in Toronto. He was transferred to the 60-day injured list on September 1, then was outrighted off the 40-man roster in November before electing free agency.
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Detroit is the latest stop in a fast-moving stretch
Sandlin still gave the Blue Jays some value when healthy. MLB.com's player page notes he made 19 appearances for Toronto in 2025, posting a 2.20 ERA across 16.1 innings.
That made his exit feel more like a durability issue than a stuff issue. Toronto simply could not count on him after the lat trouble and elbow trouble stacked up in the same season.
His road to Detroit also took a quick turn through Anaheim. Sandlin signed a minor league deal with the Angels in January, reached the majors in April, then was designated for assignment on May 4 after allowing 11 earned runs in 8.2 innings.
Because he had reached 5 years of big-league service, the Angels could not just option him out. He cleared waivers and elected free agency on May 6.
That opened the door for Detroit, which moved quickly and signed him on May 10. For the Tigers, this is a low-risk bullpen bet on a reliever who owns a 3.19 ERA over 211.2 MLB innings.
For Blue Jays fans, Sandlin's Toronto run will read like a missed chance. He arrived as part of a notable trade, flashed useful bullpen work, then got pulled off track by injuries before the club ever saw the full version of him.
Now he lands in Detroit trying to rebuild value one level down. And after everything that happened in Toronto, that might be exactly the kind of reset Nick Sandlin needs.
Did the Blue Jays give up on Nick Sandlin too soon?
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