Manning was once one of the best players in baseball, and he was a fixture among top-100 prospects in the years following his selection as the ninth overall pick of the 2016 draft. He put up solid numbers on his way up the Tigers’ minor league ladder until his MLB debut in June 2021, but the strikeout prowess Manning showed in the minors didn’t translate to his work in the Show. Over 254 innings and 50 starts with Detroit from 2021-2024, Manning posted a 4.43 ERA, a 7.8% walk rate and a strikeout rate of just 16.4%.
A few injuries hampered Manning during this time, but the Tigers ultimately decided to move on completely with the right-hander. Manning spent the entire 2025 season in the minors, first with Triple-A Toledo and then with the Phillies’ Double-A affiliate in Reading after the Tigers designated Manning for assignment and traded him to Philadelphia just before the trade deadline.
Manning turns 28 in January, so given his relative youth and history as a top player, it’s a bit surprising that he hasn’t attracted interest from any MLB team with a minor league contract. The fact that Manning signed his deal with the Lions relatively early in the offseason may suggest that he wasn’t interested in perhaps waiting a few more weeks for a non-guaranteed deal and then going through the grind of another season in the minor leagues. Manning is also now out of minor league options, so even if he did make a major league roster, he might have faced more DFAs and outrights, plus potential moves to other teams via waiver claims or trades.
Instead of riding this carousel, Manning gets a $1 million payday from the Lions. The KBO League is generally a hitter-friendly league, but the lower level of competition could help Manning get his career on track. There have been several examples of pitchers using stints in the KBO to rework their pitching repertoire, post some strong numbers and get back on the radar of big league teams, so chances are we haven’t seen the last of Manning in a Major League organization.
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