League news
Loading the latest league player and team updates.
Sports wire
The latest verified MLB player and team updates, newest first.
Baddoo hit .224/.305/.369 with 28 homers in 1,143 plate appearances for the Tigers from 2021-25. He was in the running for a bench job in Milwaukee last spring, but he suffered a strained quad in March and missed two months. He was sent down once healthy and hit .252/.342/.469 with 11 homers and seven steals in 64 games for Triple-A Nashville. If they keep him on the 40-man, the Pirates will give him a chance to win a bench spot in spring training.
Baddoo was out due to a quad strain. He played in six rehab games for Nashville prior to today’s announcement, going 4-for-20 with two homers. He could see time with the Brewers as a bench guy later this season.
Akil Baddoo· LF
The Brewers needed a spot on the 40-man roster for newly acquired Jake Woodford, so Badoo will be moved to the 60-day IL after a solid spring.
The dynamic 27-year-old outfielder evened the score at one run apiece as he smacked an RBI single into center in the home half of the first inning. He then swiped second base before being stranded there. Baddoo also drew a one-out walk in the seventh inning and rode home on Mike Boeve’s two-run blast. He’s hitting an impressive .353 (6-for-17) with a homer, four RBI and two stolen bases so far in spring training and could make the Brewers’ Opening Day roster in a reserve role.
Baddoo has his first homer of the spring season after signing a one-year deal with the Brewers in December. The 27-year-old is not a lock to make Milwaukee’s Opening Day roster, but a good showing in the Cactus League gives him a chance to show off his power/speed ability; albeit not in a starting role.
It’s probably a split contract. Baddoo has an option year left, and with three years of service time, the Brewers will control his rights through at least 2028 (it’d extend to 2029 if he spends a few weeks in the minors). We doubt they’ll really benefit from that, but maybe he’ll be their latest overachiever. The 27-year-old Baddoo has a career .224/.305/.369 line in 1,143 major league at-bats, all of them with the Tigers. He played in just seven major league games and hit .279/.384/.478 with 16 homers and 27 steals for Triple-A Toledo last season. As things stand now, it looks he’ll be competing with Blake Perkins, Garrett Mitchell (if healthy), Isaac Collins, Brandon Lockridge and Steward Berroa for two places on Milwaukee’s roster. Most likely, he’ll start off in the minors.
Baddoo hasn’t done anything useful in the majors since he was a surprise success as a Rule 5 pick for the Tigers in 2021, so it’s quite surprising to see him get a major league deal. Still, he did put up a nice line in Triple-A last season, hitting .281/.385/.483 with 15 homers and 25 steals, and the Brewers generally know what they’re doing. He’ll try to win a bench spot in spring training.
Baddoo’s time in Detroit is officially over after five seasons. The 27-year-old corner outfielder burst onto the fantasy scene as a rookie back in 2021 when he hit .259 with 13 homers and 18 steals in 124 contests. He was never able to rediscover that debut magic over the next four seasons and wound up getting into only 38 contests over the last two years combined for the Tigers. It’s possible there’s another club out there willing to bring him in as a reclamation project.
8 news items shown