Phil

Bickford

As is the case with most of the early cuts at this time of the spring, there are no real surprises among the group. All four pitchers are dealing with injuries and will continue their rehab on the minor league side of camp. The Tigers are now down to 63 players remaining in major league camp.

Bickford split last year between the Triple-A affiliates of the Cubs and Phillies, finishing with a 3.52 ERA and a 53/17 K/BB in 46 innings out of the pen. He has a 4.62 ERA in 189 innings as a major league reliever since debuting with the Brewers in 2020.

Bickford heads to Triple-A Lehigh Valley as extra organizational relief depth for Philadelphia after being released last week by the Cubs following a couple months in their system. The 29-year-old former first-round pick has made 187 relief appearances in the big leagues dating back to the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign. He got into eight games last year for the Yankees.

Bickford bolsters Chicago’s relief depth heading into the 2025 campaign after making eight unremarkable relief appearances last season for the Mets, finishing with a bloated 8.64 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 6/1 K/BB ratio across 8 1/3 innings of work. The 29-year-old journeyman right-hander holds a serviceable 4.62 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 210/73 K/BB ratio across 189 innings (187 appearances) in the big leagues dating back to 2020.

Bickford can opt for free agency if he’d like. He was DFA’d on Saturday after giving up eight earned runs in 8 1/3 innings for the Yankees.

Bickford loses his spot on New York’s 40-man roster with both Clark Schmidt and Ian Hamilton returning from the injured list ahead of Saturday’s game at Wrigley Field. The 29-year-old righty made eight relief appearances for the Yankees after being brought up back in late August.

Bickford is back on the roster with Michael Tonkin being designated for assignment to clear room on the 40-man roster and active group. Bickford will be a middle-inning option for the New York bullpen while he’s with the team.

Bickford was designated for assignment last weekend and passed through waivers unclaimed, but he elected free agency rather than accepting his outright assignment to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. After exploring the market over the holiday though, he decided that his best opportunity was to return to the Yankees. He’ll continue to function as extra bullpen depth at Triple-A.

The 28-year-old right-hander was designated for assignment over the weekend and passed through waivers unclaimed, but rather than accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, he’ll peddle his wares on the open market instead. Bickford holds a 2.93 ERA over 22 appearances at Triple-A this season, so it shouldn’t take him long to find a new gig.

Bickford cleared waivers and elected to report to Triple-A rather than hit free agency. He allowed nine runs (eight earned) in five innings with the Yankees (14.40 ERA). Bickford has a 2.93 ERA in 22 Triple-A appearances this year. He would need to be added back to the 40-man roster before the Yankees could call on him again as bullpen depth.