Jarrod Saltalamacchia Signs With the Detroit Tigers
By Thomas Lynch
Catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia signed a free agent deal with the Detroit Tigers.
The Arizona Diamondbacks lured on one free agent while at the same time they were losing one of their own. In the midst of all the hoopla surrounding the earth-shattering signing of Zack Greinke, the Snakes said goodbye to catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia who signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Tigers. According to mlbtraderumors, there were “six or seven” clubs interested in the veteran backstop including the D-backs.
After winning the World Series in 2013 as a part of the Boston Red Sox, Saltalamacchia signed a three-year, $21 million dollar contract with the Miami Marlins. It was a homecoming for him having been born and raised in West Palm Beach, Florida. However, Salty’s time with the Fish wasn’t so pleasant. He hit only .220 in 435 plate appearances in 2014 with 11 home runs and had only two hits in 33 plate appearances in 2015 before the Marlins released him at the beginning of May. Arizona signed him two days after his release which proved to be a wise decision when starting catcher Tuffy Gosewisch went down with a knee injury on June 2nd.
However, Saltalamacchia never got a chance to establish himself as a starter for the Snakes as shortly afterwards the team struck a deal for Welington Castillo. “Beef” became a force on offense, making a potent lineup even deeper. That didn’t mean Saltalamacchia was not productive with the D-backs. He hit eight home runs in 171 plate appearances and did just fine overall with a .251 batting average and a .332 on-base percentage. He also proved to be a tremendous bat off the bench with ten hits in 32 plate appearances as a pinch-hitter.
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Detroit marks the sixth organizational stop for the 30-year old Saltalamacchia. He was a first round selection of the Atlanta Braves in the 2003 Draft. He was dealt to the Texas Rangers at the trading deadline in 2007 in a big trade that brought Mark Teixeira to Atlanta. Exactly three years later, Salty was on the move to the Red Sox as part of a four player transaction. Lifetime, Saltalamacchia owns 98 home runs and has driven 343 runs with a .240 batting average. We wish Salty the best of luck in the Motor City.