December 23, 2024

By Kevin Glew

Canadian Baseball Network

Right-hander Jordan Balazovic has signed a minor league contract with the Detroit Tigers.

Aram Leighton, of Just Baseball Media, reported the signing on Sunday.

Balazovic (Mississauga, Ont.) finished the 2024 season with Doosan Bears of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), where he went 2-6 with a 4.26 ERA in 12 appearances (11 starts), while striking out 69 batters in 57 innings.

The 6-foot-5 right-hander signed with the KBO club after he was released by the Minnesota Twins on July 6. Balazovic had posted a 5-4 record and a 5.60 ERA in 24 appearances (one start) for the Twins’ triple-A St. Paul Saints in 2024.

It has been a rollercoaster past two seasons for the 26-year-old reliever. After pitching 3 2/3 scoreless innings in his major league debut for the Twins against the Tigers on June 18, 2023, Balazovic proceeded to make 17 more big league appearances that season. He completed the year with a 4.44 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 24 1/3 innings with the Twins.

On February 7, 2024, Balazovic was designated for assignment by the Twins, only to be re-signed to a minor league contract and invited to the club’s big league spring training less than a week later.

Chosen in the fifth round of the 2016 MLB draft by the Twins, the Ontario Blue Jays and Junior National Team alum pitched in parts of eight seasons in the Twins’ system.