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By Jackson Roberts
Contributing Sports Writer
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Phil Bickford's Major League Baseball career hasn't followed a perfect trajectory, but the new year brings the 30-year-old former first-round pick a fresh start.
Bickford was actually a two-time first-round pick, to illustrate what sort of prospect pedigree he once had. He was selected 10th overall by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2013 out of high school, then 18th overall by the San Francisco Giants in 2018 out of the Southern Nevada.
After pitching 187 major league games from 2020 to 2024, Bickford failed to make a big-league appearance last year, pitching 39 times for the Chicago Cubs' and Philadelphia Phillies' organization. He's hoping one more change of scenery can be the key to his breakthrough out of a big-league bullpen.
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According to the transactions log on his official roster page, Bickford signed a minor-league deal with the Detroit Tigers on Jan. 13. The transaction did not appear on his page until a full week later.
Coming off a season of rocky bullpen performances, the Tigers shuffled the deck by bringing in future Hall of Fame candidate Kenley Jansen to close games, while re-signing Kyle Finnegan to handle setup duties. Bickford figures to be in competition with pitchers like Beau Brieske, Bailey Horn, and Brenan Hanifee for spots seven and eight in the bullpen.
When we last saw Bickford in the majors, he was struggling to catch on with the 2024 Yankees, for whom he allowed eight earned runs in 8 1/3 innings. He pitched for the New York Mets and Milwaukee Brewers as well, but 152 of his 187 appearances thus far have come as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Traded once, released twice, and designated for assignment four times throughout his career, Bickford is used to grinding for every opportunity he gets. The Tigers should offer him a good once in spring training, but it's up to him to take advantage of it.
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