Ex-Met Bobby Parnell trying to resurrect career with Tigers
Detroit Tigers pitcher Bobby Parnell delivers to the Pittsburgh Pirates during the fifth inning of a spring training baseball game Wednesday, March 2, 2016, in Bradenton, Fla. Credit: AP / Chris O’Meara
LAKELAND, Fla. — He once was one of the longest-tenured Mets and the heart and soul of the bullpen. But Bobby Parnell fell on hard times, first with Tommy John surgery that wrecked his 2014 season after one appearance and then a 2015 season that ended without a spot on the postseason roster.
So as Parnell watched the Mets reach the World Series last season from Port St. Lucie, Florida — where he was part of a “break-glass-only-in-an-emergency” taxi squad — it had to be bittersweet.
“I was happy for those guys,” Parnell, now trying to make the Detroit Tigers’ bullpen, said Monday at Joker Marchant Stadium before the Tigers beat the Mets, 9-2.
But what about his situation?
“I was happy for those guys,” Parnell said again.
You can understand Parnell’s reluctance to dig too deep into his last of his eight years with the Mets. He tried to make it back early from Tommy John surgery, was batted around to the tune of a 6.38 ERA and became a target of Citi Field fan venom for his ineffectiveness.
The Mets let Parnell walk as a free agent without even a sniff. The 31-year-old signed a minor-league contract with the Tigers on Feb. 19 and is trying to make Detroit’s rebuilt setup crew in front of another former Met, Francisco Rodriguez.
After a 74-win season and last-place finish in the AL Central, the Tigers acquired K-Rod from the Brewers and lefthander Justin Wilson from the Yankees and signed right hander Mark Lowe (two years, $11 million) to help fix their chronically underperforming bullpen.
They also signed Nationals righthander Jordan Zimmermann (five years, $110 million), former Mets starter Mike Pelfrey (two years, $16 million) and outfielder Justin Upton (six years, $132.7 million).
And yes, the Tigers still have Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander. So obviously their chances do not hinge on Parnell returning to the 100-mph form from his early days as a Met. But it would be nice for him to become an effective reliever again.
“Looking at the guys around here, I feel like we’ve got a good group of guys down there,” Parnell said. “We’ve got guys that work hard. Guys that care. Huge upsides. I just want to be part of it.”
In four exhibition appearances, Parnell has a 4.15 ERA. He said he feels as if he’s throwing the ball as well, if not as hard, as he did before surgery.
“Like night and day,” he said. “Feel a lot better. Bouncing back better. Just stronger. Feel like I’m able to make adjustments pretty quickly and feel like it’s a normal spring training.”
Anthony Rieber covers sports media and business and professional sports (you know, games and trades and things). He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since Jan. 1, 2026.
