Chris Paddack in the Spotlight: Latest Highlights, Stats, and What’s Next for the Twins Pitcher

Dateline: Detroit — July 28, 2025 The Detroit Tigers have acted quickly in the final week before Thursday’s MLB trade deadline, acquiring right-hander Chris Paddack from the Minnesota Twins in a deal that signals both clubs’ diverging ambitions for the stretch run. Multiple team sources confirmed the transaction Monday afternoon, framing it as the first domino in Minnesota’s expected sell-off and a decisive depth play for a surging Detroit club eyeing a deep October push. Rotation boost for Detroit Paddack, 29, slots behind ace Tarik Skubal and veterans Casey Mize, Reese Olson and Jack Flaherty, immediately filling the fifth-starter void created when prized prospect Jackson Jobe underwent season-ending UCL surgery in May. Detroit officials value Paddack’s durability — he has taken the ball every fifth day this year and logged 111 innings — as much as his upside. Though the righty owns a 3-9 record and 4.95 ERA, he also boasts a career-best 1.28 WHIP and has issued two or fewer walks in 19 of 21 starts, evidence of the strike-throwing profile the Tigers covet. More velocity, cleaner health After a second Tommy John surgery in 2022 and lingering arm fatigue in 2024, Paddack overhauled his off-season routine, throwing daily and incorporating football-style long toss to maintain elbow strength. The payoff has been a fastball that now touches 97 mph and a changeup that still grades as plus, even if his 6.4 K/9 remains a career low. Detroit believes the uptick in velocity and a move to spacious Comerica Park could goose the whiff rate and curb the homer issues (1.4 HR/9) that plagued him in hitter-friendly Target Field. What Minnesota gets The Twins will receive two pitching prospects — sources indicate Double-A right-hander Jaden Hamm and High-A lefty Carlos Marcano — plus international bonus pool money. Neither arm cracks Detroit’s top-10 list, but the package gives Minnesota controllable, near-ready depth as the front office pivots toward 2026. More importantly, off-loading Paddack’s $8 million salary creates flexibility ahead of arbitration raises for cornerstone bats Royce Lewis and Brooks Lee. Free-agent walk year Paddack is a rental, scheduled to reach free agency in November. Detroit took the same approach last July with Jack Flaherty, betting on short-term upside over cost certainty. General manager Jeff Greenberg hinted the club could extend a qualifying offer if the Texan flourishes down the stretch: “We value workhorse mentality, and Chris has been vocal about wanting the ball every fifth day.” Fantasy & betting impact • Fantasy baseball managers should treat Paddack as a matchup-based streamer. The AL Central offers soft landings against the White Sox and Royals, and Comerica’s deep alleys suppress power. • Sportsbooks moved Detroit’s World Series odds from +1800 to +1500 Monday afternoon, reflecting confidence that a bolstered rotation can support an offense ranked fourth in the league in wRC+. Schedule watch Paddack is expected to debut in a Tigers uniform Saturday at home against the Guardians, lining him up for two division starts in his first week. Detroit’s front office hopes to limit his workload to 175 innings, but manager A.J. Hinch left the door open for bullpen usage come October, noting Paddack’s electric relief cameo (six strikeouts in 3 ⅔ scoreless innings) in Minnesota’s 2023 postseason run. What’s next at the deadline? League sources expect Minnesota to continue trimming the roster, with outfielder Harrison Bader and utility standout Willi Castro drawing “strong interest.” Detroit, meanwhile, remains linked to late-inning relievers after incumbent closer Alex Faedo suffered an oblique strain Saturday. Key numbers • 1.28 WHIP — lowest of Paddack’s career despite a near-5 ERA • 19/21 — starts with two or fewer walks, underscoring elite control • 200 — innings Paddack publicly set as his 2025 goal back in February; he’s on pace for 185 Bottom line Chris Paddack isn’t the ace he once projected to be in San Diego, but in a rotation that already boasts an ace, he doesn’t have to be. If the Tigers get league-average innings and flashes of the swing-and-miss changeup that turned heads in 2019, Monday’s trade could look like one of the deadline’s savviest bargains — and exactly the kind of incremental upgrade that wins tight playoff series in October.