DETROIT -- Among the bevy of pitchers to contribute to the Tigers¡¯ 77-win season this year were Minor League signings Ian Krol and Drew Hutchison, who capitalized on opportunities with Detroit to pitch in the Major Leagues for the first time since 2018. Both will be free agents again this offseason.

As expected, the Tigers outrighted Hutchison and Krol to Triple-A Toledo after they cleared waivers and were removed from the 40-man roster. Both pitchers elected to become free agents.

Both pitchers have enough Major League service time in their careers that they would¡¯ve been eligible for arbitration had they remained on Detroit¡¯s 40-man roster. The Tigers can try to re-sign them to Major or Minor League contracts, but they¡¯re also free to sign with any club they chose.

The 30-year-old Krol was a non-roster invite for the Tigers in Spring Training after spending 2020 pitching in independent ball near his Chicago home in a tournament called the City of Champions Cup. After opening the season in Toledo, he pitched in 18 games for Detroit, where he had pitched two seasons earlier in his career. He gave up 23 hits over 18 2/3 innings, but just two home runs with eight walks and 18 strikeouts.

Krol generally avoided hard contact, evidenced by an 86.6 mph average exit velocity, according to Statcast. His workhorse slider was hit for a .366 batting average and a .585 slugging percentage, but he posted swing-and-miss rates of 35.7 percent on his changeup and 38.5 percent on his curveball.

The Tigers are in need of lefty relief depth -- closer Gregory Soto, swingman Tyler Alexander and Miguel Del Pozo are the only lefty relief options currently on their 40-man roster -- so a reunion with Krol is possible. However, manager A.J. Hinch used Krol more often in long relief and mop-up situations than in lefty-lefty matchups.

The 31-year-old Hutchison, who signed a Minor League deal at the end of February, posted a 3-1 record and a 2.11 ERA over 21 1/3 innings for the Tigers in nine games, two of them starts. All three wins came in long-relief appearances, but he also tossed 4 1/3 innings with an unearned run allowed in an Aug. 22 start at Toronto, a game the Tigers eventually won. With the Tigers in need of starting pitching depth, he could be a candidate to return on a Minor League deal.