The holidays didn't go as planned for Bligh Madris last offseason. He spent Christmas Day and New Year's Day in limbo as a player designated for assignment player before the Detroit Tigers ultimately traded him to the Houston Astros.

Madris, who never played a game in the Tigers' organization despite spending five weeks on the 40-man roster, was designated for assignment on Dec. 21, 2022, and traded to the Astros on Jan. 3, 2023, in exchange for cash considerations.

Last year's offseason was stressful.

"I didn't know when I was put on waivers, then MLB closed down for the holidays," Madris said, "so I didn't know if I was still on waivers after the first of the year. I had that hanging over my head during the holidays, which kind of sucked."

Turns out, the Tigers never forgot about Madris.

The Tigers pursued Madris at the beginning of this year's offseason and signed him to a minor-league contract with a non-roster invite to big-league spring training. He profiles as left-handed-hitting corner outfield and first base depth for the Tigers in 2024.

"It kind of made me feel good that they wanted me back," Madris said. "I've never gone through (minor-league) free agency before, so it seemed like a good deal for me. It tunneled my focus a little bit more on what I needed to do this offseason."

Madris, who turns 28 in late February, hit .235 with 15 home runs, 67 walks and 115 strikeouts across 100 games last season with Triple-A Sugar Land in the Astros' organization.

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On defense, Madris played right field (287 innings), first base (250 innings) and left field (122⅔ innings) at the Triple-A level last season. He started playing first base in 2022.

The Astros promoted Madris for 12 MLB games, bringing him to 51 games in his MLB career across parts of two seasons. He hit .154 with four walks and seven strikeouts.

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Madris improved his Triple-A walk rate from 9.8% in 2022 to 14.7% in 2023. He also crushed a career-high 15 home runs in 100 games, but his batting average dropped from .297 in 2022 to .235 in 2023.

He took advice from Michael Brantley, a 15-year MLB veteran and five-time All-Star who retired from his playing career a few weeks ago, during their time together with Triple-A Sugar Land while Brantley was on rehab assignments.

"He broke up hitting into three things: separation, throwing your lower half and letting your hands go with," Madris said. "He was all about sequencing. You had to get your body in a good position to hit. That was big for me."

In the 2024 season, Madris hopes to show an uptick in power while maintaining his ability to draw walks.

"I'm hoping to gain a little more," Madris said. "Hitting-wise, I'm working on that sequence and learning how to be shorter and quicker to the ball."

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The relationship between the Tigers and Madris began Nov. 18, 2022, when he was claimed off waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays. He was the fifth of 10 players claimed off waivers last offseason by president of baseball operations Scott Harris.

Madris only lasted five weeks on the 40-man roster before he was designated for assignment, but last offseason set the table for a contract agreement this offseason.

"Everyone that I met with the Tigers in that short five weeks was great," Madris said. "The people I got to talk to always treated me with respect. I fully understand that it's a business and that it's not personal. I was excited when they came and talked to me this offseason."

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers never forgot about Bligh Madris after trading him