Parnell agrees to minor-league deal with Tigers

After struggling badly with the New York Mets last summer in his first season back from Tommy John surgery, veteran reliever Bobby Parnell will reportedly try to revive his career in Detroit, agreeing Thursday to a minor-league deal with the Tigers, according to Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press.

Once a stalwart in the Mets' bullpen - he even served as closer sporadically from 2011 through 2013 - Parnell's career was derailed when he was diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament following his first appearance of the 2014 campaign. He missed the rest of that season recovering from surgery, and stumbled to a 6.38 ERA with a 1.96 WHIP over 30 appearances with the Mets in 2015 after coming off the disabled list in June.

In the four seasons leading up to his elbow injury, however, Parnell crafted a 2.79 ERA with a 3.01 strikeout-to-walk ratio, averaging 56 appearances per year while ranking 28th among qualified relievers with 3.6 WAR over that span.

Parnell, who struggled last summer to find his former velocity, will likely compete for a middle-relief role in a bullpen recently bolstered by the additions of Francisco Rodriguez and Mark Lowe.