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First and foremost, Major League Baseball is a business. Former Detroit Tigers utility player Brandon Dixon experienced the tough end of that business in 2020 when, he said, the Tigers kept him from earning seven figures in Japan.
Dixon told his story on Wednesday, July 31, in a lengthy tweet claiming the Tigers turned what could have been a $1.2 million season for him into one in which he made $60,000.
The incident came after Dixon led the 2019 Tigers with 15 home runs (“We lost a lot of games,” he quipped). As the Tigers were losing games down the stretch, heading toward a league-worst 47-114 record, his playing time diminished in favor of younger prospects. For context, the then-27-year-old Dixon had just 52 at bats in September 2019, compared with 97 the month before.
“It was clear that the Tigers were rebuilding and I wasn’t in the future plans,” Dixon wrote. “Quickly into the offseason I was getting interest from multiple teams in Korea and Japan. For those that don’t know these are the 2 premier leagues outside of the U.S.
“They have limits to the amount of foreigners allowed on each team, so these jobs can be somewhat rare.”
The timing wasn’t great for Dixon, who was still under contract with Detroit.
“This usually is solved by a buyout between the 2 teams,” he explained. “We put the right people in contact and told the Tigers that I wanted to stay if I was part of the future, but if not I wanted to go and make some money for my family.”
Brandon Dixon Said GM Al Avila Said He Was ‘a Big Part’ of the Team’s Future
For a $1.2 million contract offer, the Tigers wanted a $1 million buyout, essentially killing any deal. Dixon says then-GM Al Avila “wouldn’t budge” and he explained to Dixon that he was a “big part of the future of this team.”
Dixon was forced to turn down the deal — ultimately not a bad thing if he was, in fact, going to have a major role in Detroit moving forward. He would almost surely earn more money in the majors, anyway.
Only that’s not how it happened. Just a month and a half later, the Tigers changed their mind.
“6 weeks later the day after my wedding, and on the way to my honeymoon I got a call from the Tigers GM,” Dixon wrote. “’Hey I’m sorry but we are putting you on waivers, we made a couple trades and needed your roster spot.’
“I went unclaimed, my offer in Japan was already given to another player, and I was headed to the minor leagues with Detroit. That year ended up being the shortened COVID season and I finished the year making 60k.”
Dixon appeared in five games in September 2020 for Detroit, going 1-13. He went to Japan the next year, signing with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles before returning stateside in 2022 to play in the San Diego Padres’ system.
Brandon Dixon Turned to Street Sweeping
Dixon has since retired from baseball and has acquired his own street-sweeping business.
The former Tiger now owns Cleaner Streets LLC, based in Southern California, according to North American Sweeper Magazine.
“We’ve seen quite a bit of success so far,” Dixon told the magazine. “I think we’ve multiplied our revenues by about 3 to 4 times what it was when we bought the company in November. It’s a big transition and a totally different atmosphere. But, I’m really enjoying this business and the learning aspect of this new challenge.”
In May, Dixon shared another lengthy X post in which he outlined why he decided to get into street sweeping. He cited the high demand (“It’s mandatory” and “there’s a lot of streets”) and low level of competition. Just as importantly, he added, “my daughter loves looking at big trucks.”
Despite his baseball career not going quite how he wanted, Dixon can still reflect positively on his time.
“It’s been a fun journey, from a kid dreaming of the big leagues to getting to play for my hometown team,” the La Jolla, California, native said when he announced his retirement. “Thank you to everyone who was part of it.”
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