Detroit Tigers’ Scott Harris ‘really excited’ about Chris Paddack
Detroit Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris talks to reporters July 28, 2025, about the Chris Paddack trade with the Minnesota Twins.
The Randy Dobnak era is over.
The Detroit Tigers declined their $6 million club option on Dobnak before the Thursday, Nov. 6, deadline for contract option decisions, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who spoke Tuesday on the condition of anonymity because the move hasn’t been officially announced.
Dobnak, a 30-year-old right-hander, will receive a $1 million buyout and become a free agent.
Dobnak never pitched in MLB with the Tigers.
Dobnak – who became the first MLB player from the United Shore Professional Baseball League in Utica – joined the Tigers with right-hander Chris Paddack from the Minnesota Twins before the July 31 trade deadline. To acquire them, the Tigers traded away catching prospect Enrique Jimenez, their No. 14 prospect at the time, per MLB Pipeline.
Both Paddack and Dobnak are no longer in the Tigers’ organization.
Had the Tigers picked up Dobnak’s 2026 team option, he would’ve had a $7 million team option for 2027 and an $8.5 million team option for 2028, both with $100,000 buyouts. The three team options were part of a five-year, $9.25 million contract extension that Dobnak signed with the Twins in March 2021.
The Twins included Dobnak in the Paddack trade to the Tigers as a salary dump, saving about $2 million. He had $1 million remaining on his 2025 salary at the time of the trade, plus the $1 million buyout on the 2026 team option.
After the trade, Dobnak posted a 3.79 ERA for Triple-A Toledo, recording 16 walks and 35 strikeouts across 38 innings in nine games (eight starts). Before the trade, he logged a 7.12 ERA across 60â…” innings in 17 games (10 starts) for Triple-A St. Paul.
He also made one appearance for the Twins in 2025.
During his five-year MLB career, Dobnak owns a 4.86 ERA over 140â…” innings in 39 games (21 starts), including a 3.12 ERA in his first 19 games (15 starts) in 2019-20 before signing the five-year contract extension.
In June 2017, Dobank began his professional career in the independent USPBL – pitching for the Utica Unicorns – after going undrafted out of Alderson Broaddus University, an NCAA Division II program. After six games, he signed a minor league contract with the Twins in August 2017, receiving a $500 signing bonus.
Dobnak made his MLB debut in August 2019.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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