Detroit Tigers make former Twins ALDS starting pitcher Randy Dobnak free agent
The Detroit Tigers declined right-handed starting pitcher Randy Dobnak's $6 million club option, according to the Detroit Free Press' Evan Petzold. The former Twin will receive a $1 million buyout and become a free agent.
Everyone expected Dobnak's 2026 option would be declined, even when he was with the Twins; he pitched in just one MLB game in 2025 and had appeared in five games the previous season. Before that, Dobnak hadn't been in the Major Leagues since 2021, where he posted an awful 7.64 ERA with an 11.8% strikeout rate in 50 2/3 innings with the Twins.
Dobnak signed a five-year, $9.25 million extension with the Twins in March 2021 after the pitcher had a 3.12 ERA (3.56 FIP) with 50 strikeouts and 18 walks in 75 innings across parts of two seasons (2019-20). Dobnak also made a start during Game 2 of the 2019 ALDS against the New York Yankees, suffering the loss after allowing four earned runs on six hits and two walks in two innings.
It's safe to say the extension didn't go as planned, as Dobnak has spent more time with Triple-A St. Paul than he has with Minnesota since signing the five-year deal. Dobnak surely wishes he could've been worth his contract, but he certainly is happy that his family is likely now set for life.
This past July, the Twins sent Dobnak with Chris Paddack to the Tigers in exchange for catching prospect Enrique Jimenez, who posted a .983 OPS in 23 games for Low-A Fort Myers in 2025. At the time, the Tigers desperately needed starting pitching, and Paddack was one of the limited available starters on the trade market. It's clear that Minnesota included Dobnak in the deal to shed more payroll, with Paddack being the player the Tigers actually wanted.
Paddack struggled immensely with the Tigers, posting a 6.32 ERA with 29 strikeouts and 10 walks in 47 innings. Near the end of the season, Detroit moved him to a bullpen role due to his struggles, and he failed to make the Tigers' ALWC and ALDS rosters. As for Dobnak, the ex-Twin pitched well for the Tigers' Triple-A affiliate, posting a 3.79 ERA with 35 strikeouts in 38 innings.