Former Pirates’ southpaw Tom Gorzelanny joins Detroit Tigers

In a depth move, former Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander Tom Gorzelanny has been signed by the Detroit Tigers on a one-year contract, shoring up the team’s relief corps.

Gorzelanny, 32, spent 2014 as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers – the third National League Central team of his career – pitching exclusively out of relief to the tune of a 0.86 earned run average across 23 appearances. He had previously served primarily as a starting pitcher, but in recent years, has transitioned more to the bullpen.

The Detroit News detailed the signing of Gorzelanny, as well as his past performances, in an article on Tuesday morning.

"Gorzelanny, who earlier pitched for the Pirates, Cubs, and Nationals, had solid numbers during his time in Milwaukee. But offseason shoulder surgery after the 2013 season trimmed him to 23 appearances for Milwaukee in 2014, all after he rejoined the team in mid-June."

He lost velocity on his fastball when he returned to the Brewers’ bullpen last season and, despite his success, Milwaukee elected to not bring the southpaw back ahead of 2015, leading to his signing with Detroit.

Gorzelanny will join Ian Krol as the only left-handers in the Detroit bullpen heading into next season. Second-year manager Brad Ausmus will also have right-handers Al Alburquerque, Joe Nathan, Bruce Rondon and Luke Putkonen in the relief corps. When asked about the team, Gorzelanny said he was excited to join the Tigers.

"“They do good work over there. There are good people around there. They called and said they wanted to get something done, so it was a no-brainer. They’re a great team capable of winning a World Series."

In five years with the Pirates, the southpaw compiled a 25-26 record to go along with a 4.79 earned run average in 76 games – 65 of which were starts. His best season in Pittsburgh came back in 2007, when he won a career-high 14 games for the Pirates.

Since that point, Gorzelanny has not won more than seven games, although as a member of the Washington Nationals in 2012, he pitched to a 2.88 ERA in 45 relief appearances.

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