4:00 pm: Nido will make $1.5MM if he makes the major league roster, according to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press.
1:56 pm: Thomas Nido According to the MiLB trade log, he will return to Detroit on a minor league deal. Nido was eliminated by Triple-A Toledo in May. He was elected as a free agent in mid-October but will remain in the Detroit organization. Nido is represented by ACES.
Nido first joined the Tigers on a minor league contract in September 2024 after being cut by the Cubs. He became a minor league free agent at the end of the 2024 season, but re-signed with Detroit in January 2025. Both teams have played similarly this offseason.
Jack Rogers Nido came down with an oblique injury in April, leading to an early call-up to the army. He hit .343 in 11 games with the major league club. All 12 of Nido’s hit songs were singles. He also struck out at a 27% rate. Rodgers returned in May, bumping Nido back to Toledo.
Nido, 31, has played for four MLB teams in the past nine seasons. He spent most of his career with the Mets. In 2012, he was drafted by New York.
Nido held backup catcher duties for the Mets at various times from 2017 to 2024. His most active year was 2022, when he appeared in 98 games and made 313 appearances. Nido’s OPS that season was .600. His tenure with the Mets ends in June 2024. The Cubs poached Nido quickly after he was released from the Mets. He made 17 appearances for Chicago before they moved on from him.
Defense has always been Nido’s calling card. Statcast’s fielding run rating ranks him as a positive contributor every season since 2018. Nido’s fielding runs average exceeded double digits in both 2021 and 2022.
Dillon Dingler Last season, he became a strong option for Detroit, slashing .278/.327/.425 as the primary starter. Rodgers remains on the team as a reliable backup. Nido would likely need to get injured in one of those two options to return to an MLB team. Detroit also has enticing prospects Josue Briseno and Theron Lilanzo Looming among minors. MLB.com ranks Briceno and Lilanzo among the top 5 prospects in the organization.
