The Tigers announced that catcher Donny Sands has cleared waivers. He was outrighted to Triple-A Toledo and will remain in the organization without occupying a spot on the 40-man roster.
Detroit acquired Sands alongside Nick Maton and Matt Vierling in last offseason’s trade sending Gregory Soto and Kody Clemens to Philadelphia. While Maton and Vierling saw a decent amount of action at Comerica Park, Sands spent the year in the minors. Outside of four appearances in Double-A, he played with Toledo all season.
Over 89 games for the Mud Hens, the 27-year-old had a .225/.318/.353 batting line. He homered only five times in 371 plate appearances, although his 12.1% walk rate and 19.9% strikeout percentage were each better than average. The lack of impact on batted balls made 2023 a disappointing showing, well below the .308/.413/.428 slash he’d managed with the Phillies’ Triple-A team the year before.
Sands has three games of big league experience, all of which came with the Phils in 2022. He’ll likely get a look in big league camp as a non-roster invitee. Detroit has Jake Rogers and Carson Kelly as the MLB catching duo. Prospect Dillon Dingler was added to the 40-man roster in November to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. Dingler didn’t hit well in his first crack at Triple-A, so Sands may still be Detroit’s top depth option if either Rogers or Kelly suffer an injury.
Glad no one claimed him. Maybe he can turn it around in his second season with the Tigers.
More like Donny Sans, amirite!
The WF thing is very disheartening I agree. The mother should have never accepted payments for her underage daughter and WF should not have continued a relationship of that manner with a minor. I understand he is only 22 and is likely immature, but there is no way of coming back with a spotless reputation from this.
What that got to do with Donnie Sands ?
Plenty of other sites out there that got their comments section open for you to express your opinion.
Here it’s about baseball.
We know he is a scumbag and deserves the harshest possible sentence. No need to talk about or discuss it here. Plenty of other platforms to take it to.
MLBTR should just open up the comment section on the Franco thing. Instead, readers are just going to opine on the next-posted article. It’s called freedom of speech.
This is a privately run site. That doesn’t apply here. You can be a jerk. Just do it on your own site.
Or traderumors can stop trying to be the online police who likes to censor freedom of speech and just let people discuss things like adults. They should ban people’s ip’s who they find are just stirring up trouble. Really not hard to do. Since they want to try to censor we take it on our own to talk about it on the next thread. If you’re going to be a puppet for traderumors you should sign up for their service that they beg for in every chat and sometimes have posts for.
@king
Well unfortunately mlbtr is a private owned entity therefore the 1st amendment doesn’t apply, tbh if they really wanted too they can get rid of the comments. Don’t get me wrong wish the comments were open but asking 5/6 guys to read every thread ban, block, or remove post or posters and still write articles is impossible. Also blocking ip addresses is like using a band aid on a bullet wound between tor and vpns and the fact that most isp don’t have static ips unless you set one up with them.
Someone else commented on the WF thing and I responded. It is a discussion about a baseball player who may or may not ever play again. He may have all the God given talent in the world, but it doesn’t change that he drastically altered the future of the Rays franchise.
He was the first player that they signed to a large money, long term contract and then he more than likely will never play again. The Rays lose a player they were building around and likely will be more hesitant to do another contract similar to his in fear of the financial commitment not being met. Which would strain their future because they do not have the financial abilities of teams like the Dodgers/Mets/Yankees.
Perhaps the Rays should have been more knowledgeable about his character and past, but the same could be said about any player. But it is still a topic that can be discussed without being censored because it is about baseball.
@seibu
I’m sure tb did there due diligence ever since there slight name change they have been a very well ran organization, unfortunately you can’t know everything and it’s not like people are going to open about possible wrong doings. Also who knows how deep the wander thing goes? This could have gone as far back before he became a pro and was just playing for select teams in the DR, it’s not uncommon the people with Franco’s talent to have others cover or allow bad behaviors to continue, Because well he so damn good and we need big win. Unfortunately with a lot of these kids to young adults they’ve been conditioned because of there talents and getting away with stuff for song long that they don’t have to follow the same rules because it’s always been fixed or swept under the rug.
With WF, the Rays would have won the world series. He might have even won the MVP over Ohtani, he’s that good. Apparently WF’s just another one of those guys who uses some sort of demonic fuel to perform other worldly, unsustainable feats. WF should have hired the Clinton foundation’s consulting wing to help him get the help he needed so he could stay on top without suffering the consequences of his actions.
Donnie Sands…the New Rob Brantly…
He can only hope. Brantly played 8 seasons in the majors, FWIW.
Not a bad gig!
They should hire Donnie Stephenson
Stevenson*
Or Wander Franco
Tigers should trade for a young catcher and a young SS. They are really thin in their minor league system.
Tigers sign Imanga and Matt Moore.
Trade Lange, Olson and Gipson-Long to the Cards for 3B Nolan Gorman and Catching prospect Leonardo Bernal. A 19 year old switch hitter with power and solid defense.
Trade Jobe and Brieske to the Reds for 3B Cam Collier and SS Edwin Arroyo.
I like Gorman and Bernal. Lange is another Soto with his control problems. Olson’s going to be a good one. Collier and Arroyo are good players too but I don’t know if I’d want to see them give up Jobe. I guess you gotta give something to get something though. Imanaga would be a nice add.
Rumors today that the Tigers are listening on Skubal. I expect the price would be astronomical if someone wanted to grab him. Can’t see it but boy that would potentially fill almost all those holes in one trade. Young catcher, SS, 3b, pitcher… I’d be pissed even if they picked up an insane return like they were saying the White Six were trying to get for Cease (i.e. Duna, Arroyo, Lowder, Collier or Stewart). Nobody with the prospects will pay up at those prices.
Any trade of Tarik Skubal must include Javier Baez ala the Edwin Diaz-Robinson Cano trade.
I think if we traded for Gorman, Jace Jung would have to be involved.
The Tigers need both more pitching and more infielders. Trading away all their intriguing young pitchers for intriguing young infielders will only result in them treading water. Besides Moore is wrecked and Imanaga is going to cost more than he is worth. They’d be much better off trading older players for young, controllable infielders. Unfortunately the only guy who remotely fits that mold right now is Skubal and trading him would be a mistake unless they get an incredible package. In other words, there is not much the Tigers can do right now except develop their assets and flip areas of surplus when the time is right. Too bad we wasted 2017-2021..
Actually signing Justin Turner, another hitter in 20-12 mm range and maybe 1 more decent starter would probably put us in division title hunt. JD as DH wouldn’t break my heart
Moore is wrecked? The past 2 years he is a 2.20 era in 126 innings with over 10 k per 9. He has recovered from his TJ surgery well. Moore could be an excellent setup guy, with Foley at closer. Vest and Chafin as short relievers. Vest and Miller as middle relief and then maybe a guy like Mango as a depth piece.
Rotation of Skubal, Flaherty, Maeda, Imanga and Manning or Mize if he’s ready.
They still have plenty of depth in AAA with Hill, Faedo, Wentz, Flores, Melton, Englert…
Oh my apologies I misunderstood, I thought you were suggesting Moore as a SP.
Even still the SP depth you have listed is not good for a .500 team, let alone a playoff team. Olson, SGL, and Jobe are absolutely necessary for the future of this team. Every SP listed at Toledo is a bullpen guy or a sub-30 grade value pitcher, except possibly Wentz and I don’t think I need to rehash his performance last year.
The Tigers need young infielders badly but they cannot afford to subtract from their SP depth to get it.
You mean like Sands and Maton?
The Tigers have been doing just that for 10 years.
Yep. HARRIS traded the Tigers closer, a rare lefty who could throw over 100 mph, for a short side platoon OF in Vierling. Then they decided to play him out of position, to fill the hole at 3B which HARRIS created, and never filled. He messed up the E-Rod trade by ignoring the no trade list. But lets expect trades to make the team better!
Captain Negative needs more coffee this morning! Not all trades work out and Soto didn’t exactly set the world on fire in Philly. Pretty sure Holton who replaced him after getting plucked off the scrap heap had a much better year. Sounds like you think they should just stop making trades. Malloy trade looks good, Lorenzen trade looks good, Canha trade looks good. No one bats 1.000!
I’m a realist: I don’t agree with the Michael Lorenzen for Hao-Yu Lee and Blake Holub for Mark Canha (poor defense) trades are looking good. Lee has shown nothing while Holub looks damn good. More is expected in Milwaukee. In addition, I don’t agree that Joe Jimenez for Justyn-Henry Malloy and Jake Higginbotham was so great either. Higginbotham doesn’t look like a MLB pitcher. Although Malloy should be up this year and hit, he is another poor defensive out-of-position player. The Tiger’s MiLB is a mess.
Ummh, no. They can get relievers from anywhere so can’t say losing Soto, Jimenez and Holub is a big deal when there are lots of failed starters and arms in the minors to replace them. Case in point Holton, Brieske, Vest, Foley et al.
The Tigers minor leagues were so terrible that AA Erie won the championship, they had Clark, Jung, Keith and Jobe ranked in thectop 100 (Flores was last year and McGonigle will be according to reports I read recently), and they were just ranked one of the 6 most improved system in baseball. Malloy led milb in walks and has a wicked OBP, they got Leonard for nothing and he looked sharp, Keith and Jobe are keepers, Madden, Flores and Montero are nice arms, Clark and McGonigle looked good in small samples, Lee got hurt and did not play much, but the writeups I read sounded good to me. The Tigers milb looks pretty darn good. Not sure what you are talking about there dude.
Tigers told Danny to pound SANDS
Ban Franco from the league
Roger Clemens *cough* *cough*
Clemens never slept with a 14 year old then paid her mom hush money to keep it quiet
Or it could be extortion by the parent from a famous person. We don’t know, WF is very stupid.
No he can play in the PLB. (Prison League Baseball)
Some people still want Pete Rose in the HoF and he did the same thing (sans paying the mother off).
Mel Hall too
Luis Polonia
And Google Chad Curtis while your at it
The Happy Wanderer
Too bad. I thought he would rake in 2024 and be the AL MVP.
Jerry Sands brother?
Franco deserves a second chance
No 2nd chance for Franco, he’s toast.
No 2nd chance for Pedo Franco.
Don’t forget Julio
@liberalsteve
If franco is guilty of what they say he is guilty of there is no “second chance”, hurting kids is one of those you lose all chances right then and there. Also let’s say he’s “innocent” the damage is done most people already have guilty with little evidence (but what evidence that has been reported isn’t helping franco).
Why doesn’t Trade Rumors trust us to comment on Wander Franco? Possibly because the posters on this this site can generate vitriol with minor league depth signings? Whatever the reason, give us a chance and if we get out of control, cut us off then.
@bpax
unfortunately mlbtr has tried a few times over the last few years, latest one i remember was trevor. at first it stayed somewhat on the rails, but as soon as someone makes a post to support whatever ever far right/left or red pill blue pill bs and other trolls would get enough users up in arms and the conversation would go far off the rails. the problem is the small % of users here that well are idiots or trolls and get the lot of us that can have a reasonable discussion to fall for there folly and drag us down the rabbit hole
Plenty of platforms to do it in take it there they wanna keep it about what goes on on the field which btw I agree with
We all know he is a scumbag
You like repeating yourself huh
Beg harder!
Gotta love some Danny Sands. Back in the day before there was a strip and dinotainment. None of this Pitt-Damon-Julia nonsense. Rat pack baby! You mess with the wise guys you end up buried in the desert. Fly me to the moon!
Now their 26-man is sans Sands.
Tigers need to sign Justin Turner..he would play 3rd. Some 1st and DH..Tigers need another Bat in the line-up
He sucks at 3B and has barely played there in the recent past. His bat is still good though. I don’t see them signing him after grabbing Canha though. Too much alike.
The only scenario where a new 3B would join the team would be via trade. Otherwise, It makes the most sense to give Jung a chance to win the job in Spring Training. And if he’s not ready, then they’ll stick Vierling/Ibanez/McKinstry there until he is. Matt Chapman won’t sign a one-year deal, Urshela isn’t really much of an upgrade over what we currently have, and Turner’s days at 3B have passed.
Then next year, sign Alex Bregman as a FA.
The Free Press is pushing this idea. I think it’s definitely possible. Jung primarily played 2B up until the AFL. We’re hoping we can mold him into our 3B of the future but it may not work out. And if it doesn’t, I can see them trading Jung and signing Bregman. Bregman is a good fit. He’s the type of player Harris likes, he’d probably be excited to play for Hinch again, and fans would welcome him with open arms. I would. As long as it’s not a 10-year deal.