From DFA to a homecoming, Faedo chasing full-circle moment

LAKELAND, Fla. -- On Jan. 29, Alex Faedo got a phone call from Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris. Detroit was designating the former first-round Draft pick for assignment, removing him from the only roster he¡¯d ever known to make room for veteran reliever Tommy Kahnle.

Harris laid out the situation clearly for Faedo. The Tigers would do their best to trade the right-hander, he said. It seemed unlikely he would even get to the waiver wire, and if he did, another team was bound to claim him. Immediately, Faedo thought, ¡°OK, there¡¯s gonna be a new home.¡±

And it turned out to be ¡­ home.

Born and raised in Tampa, a product of Tampa¡¯s Alonso High School before pitching for the University of Florida, Faedo wound up with the Rays in a Feb. 3 trade for Minor League catcher Enderson Delgado. Just like that, Faedo was set to spend Spring Training with the Tampa Bay club he grew up rooting for, the one he¡¯d skip school to watch live on Opening Day.

¡°There was a lot of texts, a lot of messages. My family is really excited. I was really happy for them, happy for my wife. My kids don't really understand what's going on, but happy I could be a little closer to them for most of the season,¡± Faedo said earlier in camp. ¡°It was cool, though. I could see how happy everyone was, and that's what makes me happy.¡±

Now a reliever after moving into the Tigers' bullpen last season, Faedo is competing for a spot on the Rays¡¯ Opening Day roster. He¡¯s out of Minor League options, which could give him an advantage over some of Tampa Bay¡¯s more maneuverable alternatives. If he cracks the club, it will be a full-circle moment for the 29-year-old.

Faedo grew up in a noted Tampa baseball family. His uncle, Lenny, was a first-round pick by the Twins out of Tampa¡¯s Jefferson High in 1978 and played parts of five seasons in the Majors. His father, Landy, is the longtime baseball coach at Alonso High. Landy also spent time as an assistant at Tampa¡¯s Gaither High School, where he coached a young player who is now his son¡¯s manager: Kevin Cash.

Born about eight months after Tampa Bay was officially awarded an expansion franchise, Faedo grew up a fan of the local team. He went to ¡°a lot¡± of games at Tropicana Field as a kid, he said, including Opening Days with his uncle and the Rays¡¯ first postseason game at the Trop. He was supposed to attend Matt Garza¡¯s no-hitter with his dad -- Rays vs. Tigers, perhaps fittingly, on July 26, 2010 -- but watched it on TV instead.

Faedo has said he¡¯s trying not to overthink the potential significance of pitching for his hometown team, especially as they spend this season playing home games in his actual hometown at Steinbrenner Field. But the moment he heard the news, after days of anticipation, his thoughts went to the joy others would feel.

¡°By day three or four [after being DFA¡¯d], I was like, 'All right, I need the trade or something to happen,' just because you're just waiting on it. It's almost like start day where it's like you know you have to pitch, and then you're just waiting,¡± Faedo said recently. ¡°Scott gave me the call and said [I was] gonna get traded over here, and that was a pretty cool experience. I thought it was great for my family, for my friends, be close to home, be close to where I grew up.¡±

Of course, the Rays didn¡¯t trade for Faedo just because he¡¯s from the area. In a bullpen populated by power arms, he could be an interesting addition as a multi-inning reliever who has shown the ability to effectively locate his pitches and change speeds.

¡°I think maybe his velo might be up a tick this spring from what it was last year,¡± Cash said. ¡°There's no doubt it's a lot of pitchability, that he can command and execute pitches at a pretty high rate. We'll take as many of those guys as possible.¡±

Faedo put together a 3.61 ERA with 55 strikeouts in 57 1/3 innings over 37 outings for Detroit last year, including six starts as an opener. He said his delivery was a little "out of whack" as he gave up three runs on three walks and a hit on Wednesday. But he's working with pitching coach Kyle Snyder to tighten up his slider, adding velocity to a breaking ball that generated a 43% whiff rate as his primary pitch last season, and when his mechanics have been right this spring, his velocity has ticked up a bit -- especially against his former team.

"He's a clubhouse favorite and a staff favorite,¡± Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Wednesday morning. ¡°I've had more trainers, coaches, players talk about him and how much they like him than most guys that are on our team. They love him."