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The Detroit Tigers have not been the most active teams in the offseason so far, signing just two notable players in starting pitcher Alex Cobb and second baseman Gleyber Torres. However, a free agent signing on Wednesday has got fans excited.
Although the Tigers are not known for landing top prospects, Detroit splashed the cash to sign No. 4 overall prospect Cris Rodriguez on the first day of the 2025 international signing period.
The Tigers signed the Dominican outfielder to a $3.2 million bonus, the largest in franchise history, beating the previous record of Cristian Santana of $2.95 million in 2021.
The 16-year-old's signing has got fans excited, especially after they witnessed his swing in a clip on X. Several fans compared his swing to that of Yankees superstar Aaron Judge and former great Alex Rodriguez.
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"That’s Aaron judges swing mixed with a small tad of Arod," a fan exclaimed.
"Resemblance to Aaron Judge IMHO," wrote another fan.
"C-Rod emulating A-Rod with a tad of Judge in the windup. Not bad names to emulate," wrote a fan.
Fans continued with the similarity between the swings.
"A-Rod with a little sprinkle of The Judge," shared a fan.
A fan also drew similarity with Boston Red Sox legend Manny Ramirez, writing:
"A-Rod for sure, but also a little bit of Manny Ramirez in there."
Tigers GM Robert Metzler excited on signing Cris Rodriguez
Detroit Tigers Vice President and Assistant General Manager, Rob Metzler, also highlighted Cris Rodriguez's swing and physical attributes.
“Obviously the physical ability, we believe to be special,” Metzler said. “The bat speed, the power, the bat path. We love the athleticism, the frame, the natural projection. I’d follow that up by saying we feel strongly about the kid. This is a kid we’ve gotten to know really well. The work ethic, character, aptitude are, we believe, to be pluses. That’s what he’s shown us over a significant amount of time. And we’re excited to be able to sign him today.”
The Tigers were more than impressed by the 6-foot-4, 200-pound power-hitter as he is the first top 5 international prospect signed by Detroit since 2012. Fans can have a better look at the promising outfielder when he plays in the Dominican Summer League later this year.
