Lake Buena Vista, Fla. – Weather and a sloppy field forced the Tigers to cancel their open tryout both Monday and Tuesday, and yet, they still managed to unearth a former big-league utility man looking for one last opportunity.
The Tigers on Wednesday signed 29-year-old Taylor Motter to a minor-league contract.
Motter has played parts of three seasons with the Rays, Mariners and, last season, the Twins. He has played every position except catcher, even pitching in a couple of games. He has a career batting average of .191 with a .263 on-base percentage.
Motter joins a very crowded house of utility players at the Triple-A and Double-A levels.