Detroit Tigers right-hander Chris Paddack - acquired from the Twins - needs to fix one problem: He has been bad, and Randy Dobnak has been even worse.
The Detroit Tigers acquired right-handers Chris Paddack and Randy Dobnak for catching prospect Enrique Jimenez in a trade Monday, July 28, with the Minnesota Twins.
Here's how Evan Petzold, the Tigers beat writer for the Detroit Free Press, evaluates the Paddack trade ahead of the 2025 MLB trade deadline, providing a grade and analysis.
Detroit Tigerstrade for Chris Paddack, Randy Dobnak
Tigers acquire: RHP Chris Paddack, RHP Randy Dobnak.
Twins acquire: C Enrique Jimenez.
Grade: D+.
The buzz: Who are the top rental starting pitchers available as the trade deadline approaches? Five impending free agents stand out: Merrill Kelly (Arizona Diamondbacks), Adrian Houser (Chicago White Sox), Charlie Morton (Baltimore Orioles), Andrew Heaney (Pittsburgh Pirates) and Zac Gallen (Diamondbacks).
When the Tigers found out Reese Olson, their second-best starter who owns a 3.15 ERA in 13 starts, would miss the remainder of the regular season (and possibly the postseason) with a right shoulder strain, president of baseball operations Scott Harris moved quickly to find a short-term replacement in the starting rotation.
The Tigers ended up trading for right-hander Chris Paddack (along with right-hander Randy Dobnak) from the Twins, with Paddack set to fill Olson's spot and Dobnak reporting to Triple-A Toledo. The problem: Paddack has been bad, and Dobnak has been even worse.
Paddack, 29, has a 4.95 ERA in MLB, with 27 walks and 83 strikeouts over 111 innings in 21 starts; Dobnak, 30, has a 7.12 ERA in Triple-A, with 35 walks and 42 strikeouts over 60⅔ innings in 17 games (10 starts).
To acquire those arms, the Tigers gave up switch-hitting catcher Enrique Jimenez — their top international signee in the 2023 class, who signed for $1.25 million out of Venezuela. The 19-year-old ranked as the Tigers' No. 14 prospect (before becoming the Twins' No. 20 prospect), according to MLB Pipeline.
The headliner of the trade is Paddack, a below-average starter who is expected to take the ball every five days, eat innings, fill up the strike zone and flash a 5.00 ERA. He limits walks, but he doesn't generate whiffs or strikeouts. His status as a fly-ball pitcher bodes well for Comerica Park. He probably isn't any better than Keider Montero, who the Tigers recently optioned to Triple-A Toledo. Paddack is responsible for a 4.49 ERA in his seven-year MLB career, spanning 106 games (103 starts).
Aside from performance, the concern is that Paddack has already completed 111 innings. Until now, he hasn't thrown more than 108⅓ innings in a single season since 2019, when he tossed more than 140 innings. The reason for part of that: Paddack underwent Tommy John surgery in both 2016 and 2022 to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow: If he wants to eat innings, then he needs to stay healthy.
The Tigers' rotation, led by ace Tarik Skubal, boasts a 3.58 ERA in the 2025 season, ranking sixth among the 30 teams, but in July, the Tigers rank 20th with a 4.61 ERA from their rotation.
It's possible Paddack fails to help the Tigers improve (while Dobnak wastes away in Triple-A Toledo) − but Kelly, Houser, Morton and the other aforementioned starters would've given the rotation a better chance for success, especially during a postseason run with World Series dreams.
Contact Evan Petzold at [email protected] or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers grade for Chris Paddack trade after Reese Olson injury
Category: Baseball
