The Tigers have decided to non-tender right-handed reliever Bruce Rondon, thus avoiding arbitration with him ahead of the 8 p.m. ET deadline on Friday.
Rondon, who turns 27 on Saturday, has been a promising reliever at times, armed with a 96-99 mph fastball.
Rondon made $850,000 in 2017 and MLBTradeRumors.com projected him to make $1.2 million in 2018.
Five seasons have passed since Rondon was branded the Tigers' future closer. He missed the 2014 season recovering from surgery on his elbow.
But Rondon has had only seven Major League saves and a 5.00 ERA in 123 appearances since then, and has yet to spend a full season in the big leagues.
With Ron Gardenhire now managing and Chris Bosio as the new pitching coach, Rondon could still sign a Minor League deal and get another chance to make an impression with a new staff in Spring Training.
The team tendered contracts to their five other arbitration-eligible players: Rightfielder/ third baseman Nicholas Castellanos, righty relievers Shane Greene and Alex Wilson, shortstop Jose Iglesias and catcher James McCann.