Tigers sign Joel Hanrahan - MLB

Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports that the Tigers have signed right-hander Joel Hanrahan, who recently held a workout for teams to show them how he’s progressing in a return from Tommy John elbow surgery.

Hanrahan is expected to be ready for game action sometime in June and Heyman previously wrote that the Tigers, Yankees, Rangers, Red Sox, and Rockies were all in the mix to sign the former Pirates (and very briefly Red Sox) closer.

Prior to an injury wrecked 2013 season in Boston he saved 40 games in 2012 and 36 games in 2011 for Pittsburgh, posting a combined 2.24 ERA with 128 strikeouts in 128 innings during that time.

Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski always loves hard-throwing pitchers and few throw harder than Hanrahan, who averaged 96.5 miles per hour with his fastball from 2011-2013. Joe Nathan has the closer job locked down in Detroit, but the 32-year-old Hanrahan could emerge as a late-inning setup man in the second half if his recovery goes smoothly.

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ST. LOUIS — Miles Mikolas is sticking with the St. Louis Cardinals.

The right-hander signed a three-year, $55.75 million contract on Friday that will carry through the 2025 season.

The new deal replaces a $68 million, four-year contract signed in February 2019 that covered the 2020-23 seasons and was set to pay $15.75 million this year.

Mikolas will receive a $5 million signing bonus payable July 1 and will make $18.75 million in 2023 and $16 million in each of the following two seasons. Mikolas can earn a $250,000 bonus for winning a Cy Young Award, $50,000 for All-Star election or selection or winning a Gold Glove, $100,000 for League Championship Series MVP and $150,000 for World Series MVP.

Mikolas is scheduled to make the second opening-day start of his big league career next Thursday when the Cardinals host Toronto. Mikolas went 12-13 with a 3.29 ERA last season while helping St. Louis to the NL Central title.

“Miles stands among the top pitchers in the game today, and has continued to provide a steady presence for us both in the rotation and inside the clubhouse,” St. Louis general manager John Mozeliak said in a statement.

Mikolas is 45-40 with a 3.79 in 143 games with San Diego, Texas and St. Louis. He recently pitched six shutout innings in two appearances for the U.S. in the World Baseball Classic.