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Detroit Tigers wanted to bring back Tyler Alexander, but Tampa Bay Rays claim him off waivers

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Detroit Tigers wanted to bring back Tyler Alexander, but Tampa Bay Rays claim him off waivers


The Detroit Tigers hoped to bring back Tyler Alexander.

But Alexander, a multi-inning left-handed reliever, was claimed off waivers by the Tamp Bay Rays on Friday afternoon after he was designated for assignment by the Tigers on Monday.

Alexander planned to elect free agency if he cleared waivers. Instead, the 29-year-old joins the Rays and immediately takes a spot on Tampa Bay’s 40-man roster.

“We still have interest in bringing him back,” Scott Harris, the Tigers’ president of baseball operations, said Tuesday at MLB’s general manager meetings in Scottsdale, Arizona. “I know he’s working really hard to come back from the shoulder injury to demonstrate that he can help a team in the future.”

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Alexander joined the Tigers as the No. 65 pick in the 2015 draft. He made his MLB debut in 2019 and logged a 4.38 ERA over 341⅓ innings in his five-year career, all with the Tigers.

An injury, though, derailed his 2023 season.

Alexander, whose four-seam fastball averages about 90 mph, suffered a partial tear in his lat muscle in early July. The Tigers put him on the injured list with a lat/shoulder strain. He opted for non-surgical rehabilitation, but he was shut down from throwing and missed the rest of the season.

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“With Tyler, he’s such a great presence for us in our clubhouse,” Harris said. “It didn’t feel great to designate him. Given his situation coming off an injury, we had to make our decision there.”

WHAT HARRIS WANTS: Specific type of pitching is priority for Tigers throughout remainder of offseason

The good news: Alexander completed a 25-pitch live batting practice session Nov. 3 in Lakeland, Florida, just three days before the Tigers removed him from their 40-man roster. It was his second and final session facing live hitters.

He has already started his normal offseason training in Fort Worth, Texas.

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Right now, Alexander appears to be healthy.

In 2023, Alexander posted a 4.50 ERA with five walks (2.8% walk rate) and 44 strikeouts (24.3% strikeout rate) across 44 innings in 25 games. He gave up too many hits, but he showed above-average underlying metrics with a 3.66 xERA and 4.10 FIP. His 1.02 walks per nine innings ranked third among 410 pitchers with at least 40 innings, yet his 1.64 home runs per nine innings ranked 342nd.

Just before the injury, Alexander was named the Tigers’ pitcher of the month for June after logging 0.96 ERA with three walks and 18 strikeouts in 18⅔ innings.

“It’s unfortunate because he was throwing the best he had thrown all year,” manager A.J. Hinch said in early July.

TRADE BAIT: Three reasons Tigers’ Akil Baddoo could be trade candidate this offseason

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Alexander entered the offseason as an arbitration-eligible player for the second time in his career. The Tigers weren’t willing to guarantee Alexander approximately $2 million for his services in the 2024 season, roughly a $125,000 raise from his $1.875 million salary in 2023.

Now, the Rays can decide whether or not to tender him a contract through the arbitration process.

It seems likely that the Rays will keep Alexander, who doesn’t become a free agent until after the 2025 season, and utilize him as a multi-inning reliever into the future.

“We’re going to see how the designation process plays out,” Harris said, three days before the Rays picked up Alexander, “and then reach back out and see if there’s a way to bring him back.”

Left-hander Joey Wentz, a 26-year-old who doesn’t have any minor-league options remaining, could be a candidate to fill Alexander’s multi-inning role in the bullpen.

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Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

Listen to our weekly Tigers show “Days of Roar” every Monday afternoon on demand at freep.com, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts.





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Detroit, MI

The Glancy Train set continues to attract thousands at Detroit Historical Museum this holiday season

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The Glancy Train set continues to attract thousands at Detroit Historical Museum this holiday season


MIDTOWN (WXYZ) — At Detroit Historical Museum, 74-year-old Peter Dudley really knows how to keep things on track.

WXYZ

“Yes, I’ve been a volunteer since 1997, which was the year we built the current exhibit,” says Dudley.

The Glancy Trains exhibit has been a crowd favorite for years. 13 trains moving along 12 electric-powered tracks, all thanks to a team of 3 volunteers.

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“The main thing the volunteers do is to keep the trains running,” said Dudley.

From keeping the tracks clean to repairing the trains, Dudley is always busy in his workshop over the weekends.

They go from zero to 35 mph in a split second, which is another reason we have to make sure they don’t derail, said Dudley.

The collection, which dates back to the mid-1900s, belonged to Alfred Glancy Jr., a real estate financier and former owner of the Empire State Building in New York City. Detroit Historical Society’s Rebecca Salminen-Witt says Glancy enjoyed hosting “train parties” for friends and family each holiday season at his home in Grosse Pointe Shores. After his death in 1973, the Glancy family donated the set.

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WXYZ

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“Every kid who comes here wants to see these trains, Mr. Glancy was obviously a train guy himself. His children actually are still involved with the museum. They still love these trains, visit them and support them,” said Salminen-Witt.

Salminen-Witt says that as the exhibit grows, thanks to donations from various sources, it truly highlights Detroit’s rich history.

“Most people are really excited about the renaissance that they are seeing at Michigan Central Station. They were developing that train station right at the cusp between train travel, railroad travel and the beginning of the automotive, well as we know the cars took over,” said Salminen-Witt.

And it turns out a lot of Detroit’s history is baked into the exhibit.

“We’ve got that big tire, people are familiar with on your way to the airport, you pass on I94, on the other end of the exhibit, we have the big stove. So, Detroit was the stove manufacturing capital of the country. And, of course, trains hauled those stoves everywhere,” said Salminen-Witt.

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“I often come out from behind, from the workshop, and I talk to people about local Detroit railroad history,” said Dudley.

“Does this remind you of your childhood?” asked Faraz Javed, 7 News Detroit reporter.

“I received my first train as a christmas present from my grandparents. That particular December we traveled on the Baltimore and Ohio railroad leaving from Michigan Central Station,” said Dudley.

Now, the Glancy Train exhibit runs year-round at the Detroit Historical Museum. And Dudley says they are always in need of volunteers. To find out how you can become one, just head to this website.





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Detroit, MI

Detroit Mercy visits Wisconsin after Winter’s 20-point outing

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Detroit Mercy visits Wisconsin after Winter’s 20-point outing


Associated Press

Detroit Mercy Titans (5-8, 1-2 Horizon League) at Wisconsin Badgers (9-3, 0-2 Big Ten)

Madison, Wisconsin; Sunday, 2 p.m. EST

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BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Badgers -29; over/under is 148.5

BOTTOM LINE: Wisconsin plays Detroit Mercy after Nolan Winter scored 20 points in Wisconsin’s 83-74 victory against the Butler Bulldogs.

The Badgers are 6-1 on their home court. Wisconsin scores 81.9 points and has outscored opponents by 9.5 points per game.

The Titans have gone 2-4 away from home. Detroit Mercy ranks fourth in the Horizon League with 10.7 offensive rebounds per game led by Stephen Okoro averaging 2.0.

Wisconsin’s average of 8.9 made 3-pointers per game this season is only 0.5 fewer made shots on average than the 9.4 per game Detroit Mercy gives up. Detroit Mercy averages 6.5 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.0 fewer made shot on average than the 7.5 per game Wisconsin gives up.

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TOP PERFORMERS: John Tonje is shooting 46.0% and averaging 20.0 points for the Badgers.

Orlando Lovejoy is shooting 41.5% and averaging 13.7 points for the Titans.

LAST 10 GAMES: Badgers: 7-3, averaging 81.9 points, 31.9 rebounds, 15.2 assists, 5.4 steals and 1.9 blocks per game while shooting 44.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 74.1 points per game.

Titans: 3-7, averaging 67.3 points, 33.0 rebounds, 10.8 assists, 6.7 steals and 2.4 blocks per game while shooting 41.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 75.8 points.

___

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.




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Detroit, MI

Detroit Pistons Reveal Jaden Ivey’s Playing Status vs Phoenix Suns

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Detroit Pistons Reveal Jaden Ivey’s Playing Status vs Phoenix Suns


Following a disappointing loss against the Utah Jazz on Thursday, the Detroit Pistons will get an opportunity to get back on track with a matchup against the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night.

Fortunately for Detroit, they will be getting a reinforcement as the veteran guard, Jaden Ivey, has been cleared to return to action.

Leading up to Saturday’s game, the Pistons listed Ivey on the injury report as probable. Barring any unexpected changes, he had a great chance to return to the court, which will once again change up the Pistons’ starting five.

Ivey’s recent knee concerns started on Monday when the Pistons hosted the Miami Heat. Although Ivey wasn’t believed to be dealing with any setbacks beforehand, he was shockingly ruled out right before the game tipped off.

At the time, Ivey was dealing with sudden soreness in his knee. The Pistons didn’t risk trotting him out on the court to play through it. He got the night off as the Pistons took care of business in an overtime thriller with the Heat.

Before the Pistons faced the Jazz, Detroit head coach JB Bickerstaff noted that Ivey’s timeline was day-to-day, which suggested he could be back on the court sooner rather than later.

After missing two games, Ivey is back in the mix. He’s off to a nice start this season, averaging 17 points on 44 percent shooting from the field and 37 percent shooting from beyond the arc. He’s also dishing out four assists per game, while coming down with a career-high four rebounds per game.

Ivey and the Pistons will tip-off against the Suns at 9 PM ET.

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