“The Tigers are listening to everything” in regards to trade possibilities, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press writes, as the team is at least open to moving both pending free agents and players under longer-term control. It remains unclear exactly how aggressive the Tigers might be in moving anyone who isn’t controlled beyond 2025, as while it costs the team nothing to test the market for offers, Detroit does broadly expect to finally get back to contention next season.
With a 52-54 record, the Tigers are still technically in contention this season, as they sit only 5.5 games back of the final AL wild card berth. A stirring 14-8 record in July has kept Detroit alive in the playoff picture, yet with the postseason still something of a longshot, this recent surge hasn’t been enough to detract from the Tigers’ plan to move some veterans.
Jack Flaherty and Mark Canha have been mentioned in trade rumors already, but Petzold notes that the Tigers are “shopping” catcher Carson Kelly. As MLBTR’s Steve Adams observed in a piece earlier this month, Kelly has rebounded after a couple of down years to assume close to an even split of Detroit’s catching duties alongside Jake Rogers. Kelly has is hitting .242/.327/.393 with seven home runs over 202 plate appearances, translating to an above-average 106 wRC+.
Despite the importance of the catching position, it is relatively rare to see prominent backstops dealt at the deadline, due in part to all of the added prep work that a catcher must handle behind the scenes. Since so much of the job is based around handling pitchers and calling games, it can quite difficult for a catcher to join a new team and immediately be tasked with learning the tendencies for an entire new set of hurlers.
This alone complicates Detroit’s efforts to move Kelly, not to mention the fact that a lot of other contenders are relatively set at the catching position. That said, you never know what teams might emerge with needs — the Red Sox weren’t seemingly in search of catching on paper, yet Boston acquired Danny Jansen from the Blue Jays yesterday. Kelly is also pretty inexpensive, as has about $1.22MM remaining on his $3.5MM salary for the 2024 season.
In terms of players with extra control, Andrew Chafin and Shelby Miller can each be retained via club options for the 2025 season. (Chafin’s option is worth $6.5MM with a $500K buyout, while Miller’s option is for $4.25MM with a $250K buyout.) According to Petzold, the Tigers are leaning towards picking up both options for now, though their plans could change if another team makes a good enough offer for either pitcher by Tuesday’s deadline.
Chafin has more value as a left-handed reliever, plus his numbers are better than Miller’s this season. Chafin has a 3.25 ERA with an outstanding 29.9% strikeout rate over 36 innings, and while he is still prone to issuing free passes, the veteran’s 9.6% walk rate is still markedly improved over his 12.5% figure from 2023. Miller is something of the opposite, as he has a strong 5.4% walk rate but his other numbers are a lot rougher — a 4.66 ERA in 36 2/3 frames out of the Tigers’ bullpen.
Sticking with the relief corps, Petzold reports that the Tigers have gotten trade interest in both Jason Foley and Will Vest, but the club is unlikely to move either right-hander. Foley and Vest are both controlled through 2027 and won’t even reach their first rounds of salary arbitration until this coming offseason, so barring a very compelling offer, Detroit has no reason to consider moving relievers who aim to be part of the bullpen plans for years to come.
Foley in particular has performed well as Detroit’s closer this season, saving 15 of 18 chances and posting a 3.22 ERA in 36 1/3 innings. If there is a reason for the Tigers to think about selling high, it could be that Foley doesn’t fit the traditional model for a lights-out stopper. Foley is a grounder specialist with surprisingly low strikeout totals for a pitcher with a 96.9mph fastball, though his slider has been much more effective than his heater this season.
Vest has quietly posted strong numbers for two seasons in a row now, following up his 2.98 ERA in 48 1/3 innings in 2023 with a 3.15 ERA in 45 2/3 frames this year. Somewhat akin to Foley, Vest also doesn’t miss many bats, but he is very good at limiting hard contact. Only six percent of Vest’s fly balls have left the yard over the last two seasons, and his 2.9% barrel rate is in the 97th percentile of all pitchers in 2024.
They gotta keep their focus on the future. The prospect returns this year are crazy high. Your top two hitters are injured. Focus on a 2025 playoff run.
Skubal’s name doesn’t even come up anymore…..
It probably should. Tigers are gonna lose Flaherty and somehow will be contenders next year?
There making the same mistake the Brewers did with Burnes… waiting to trade the ace pitcher for worse return. Don’t see the tiges being that good the next couple of years.
How did the brewers make a mistake by holding on to burnes? He was and still is one of the best pitchers in all of baseball I don’t know how you can fault them for keeping him for a while
Got a lower return for him then they could have if they traded him a year earlier. Although the deal hasn’t been horrible for the crew. Ortiz has been good and the jury is still out hall.
Jmergs29, really? I think the Tigers can be good as soon as next year. I mean, they are 52-54 right now and a lot of their good players are out. Greene, Carpenter, Olson, Mize, Lange are all on the shelf right now. If they make the right moves they can come right back next year. I mean, look at my Royals this year compared to last.
Jobe was promoted to AA this year and has pitched a total of 47 innings. He’s on track to join the big league club in mid 2026. Just in time for Skubal to leave…..
Jobe will start next year in the mlb. He could be called up now and be a top 4 starter in a rotation
Jobe is much closer than that in terms of MLB readiness. He could be up now and have a sub 4.50 ERA. I had the pleasure to watch him pitch earlier this year and he looks like a major league hurler already. The only thing that could hold him back is his health.
He has pitched 47 innings in 2024. Mid 2026.
They can always try to re sign him, but Corbin Burnes might be a nice upgrade. Less injury prone. (wishful thinking)
Ooohhh that,s shopping for the good stuff. I doubt they outbid LA or others for him but why not. I’d be good if they went after Flaherty in the offseason but they have lots of room to sign Burnes and Skubal long term if they wanted to.
As long as Olson is not hurt worse than it sounds they would have Skubal, Olson, Mize and likely Jobe. Thats a decent top 4. The 5th starter could be Montero, another AAA guy, someone they bring in or they could resign Flaherty in the offeseason and really make things interesting.
The offense is going to improve just by the young guys having another year under their belt. Hopefully Baez is gone and they sign or trade for bat(s) to fill the remaining holes…there are not that many actually.
They could get a pitcher or hitter at the deadline who helps fill a gap as well.
I agree Beach Bum, I don’t know if it’s recency bias but the Tigers are a lot better than people like to think.
Blackpink, there is an entire offseason where the Tigers can try to replace Flaherty or sign him back even if they trade him. Yes, they can still contend next year. I didn’t expect KC to be this good this year after a 56 win season in 2023, but here we are. There are surprise teams every year. DET has nice prospects too.
I think Jobe is coming sooner than later. He owned the Twins in Spring Training. He owns AA batters right now. And if they trade Flaherty and Olson and/or Mize linger on the IL, they might have to call him up. They are dangerously thin on starters right now.
Jobe won’t be getting even a taste of the majors until Sept 2025, at the earliest. Tigers don’t tend to rush things.
Garrett Crochet pitched 25 innings last yr, so innings can’t be the deciding factor. He will have an innings limit just like Crochet, it just depends on if they think he is major league ready or not. I think he starts the yr in Detroit next yr(as long as he is healthy till then), but only goes 5 innings a start or so. They will baby him more than Crochet has been this yr.
The way Crochet was handled was poor and in no way a blueprint for anything. He’s barely pitched at AA he’s not close to ready.
Not even the best pitching prospect for a central division team.
Tink Hence better.
Tigers entire season was ruined by the early season performances of Torkelson, who forgot how to hit and is a butcher at 1B, Meadows, who was so bad he couldn’t hit water if he fell out of a boat, and Baez, who, prior to homering in the last 3 games, looked like a player who shouldn’t even be in the league, and Maeda, who has often looked like he’s got nothing left.
Today, the team is playing great, if they were in the playoffs, they’d be scary with all their pitching. But, too little, too late.
So, everyone who isn’t part of the immediate future has got to go this week. There’s a bit of insurance on Flaherty in that they can give him a QO, but I think it’s smarter to trade now. Canha for sure gone. Kelly too. No reason to keep Urshela if anyone will give anything.
No reason at all to trade Skubal. In fact, they should be looking to sign him long term. He’s a true ace and should be considered the core player of the franchise.
Terrible start offensively this year. It wasn’t until July that they snapped out of it. That seems to be typical for AJ’s Tigers. Every year seems like a decent first week or two, then they just crater offensively.
We start that way every year , because the GM decides to do nothing in the offseason. But, hey, we got a new scoreboard !!
They were 1-hit today by a nobody pitcher….back to their old habits and with Riley gone for who knows how long the season is lost. The Tigers should trade whoever they can to get as much value as they can and here’s trusting Harris & Greenberg to get it right at the deadline
Baltimore would be fools to give up Holliday, Mayo, and Basallo for Skubal. But Detroit shouldn’t consider anything less than ridiculous. When you find good pitching, keep it.
Baltimore would be fools if they traded those three. Maybe get a rental like Fedde this year. Resign Burnes and then try and get Max Fried in the winter. You keep all your prospects.
O’s would be more foolish to think that the moves they made so far makes them a World Series team. It makes them better but not a favorite. IF they blow it again this year, they must make a run w/ a huge off season offer to get Skubal & the price could be higher once Corbin Burns signs w/the Dodgers or worse, the Yankees or Red Sox get him. Strike now & Skubal is your ace next 2 years! Why O’s are messing around here is crazy!
The Tigers have their cards tight to the vest. Who knows what they’ll do ? They arr fun to watch, and their system is pretty good. Having Skubsl next year will be good, and keeping Flahrity with a Q.O, would be nice too.
They better trade Flaherty while they can , this year is an outlier, same with KC and Seth Lugo.
I saw Flaherty pitch in Toronto a couple weeks ago and he looked sharp. I’m hoping they trade him then circle back to him in the offseason. He’s obviously comfortable in Detroit and Fetter the pitching coach has had a great effect on him.
Kudos to KC for the job they have done this year with their pitching. I did not see that coming.
Mariners could use Canha, but they’d probably want Chafin more. Still have all top 8 prospects on the #1 or 2 farm system.
Scottie Harris doesn’t know what he has. He will mess this up somehow, like he did with ERod last year.
They have to trade Flaherty, Canha, Kelly, Chafin and I think they could get something for Ibanez, Shelby Miller and Urshela. Not much, but something. It’s time to cut bait with guys like McKinstry, Baddoo, Wentz and Kreidler. Someone might want them to take a gamble on. Get whatever you can and start bringing up your younger guys. Jung… Dingler… Leonard… Navagato…
I’m not ready to give up on Kreidler or Wentz, but Baddoo and McKinstry need to be upgraded. Ibanez torches lefties and shows some position flexibility, so you only move him for a solid offer. Gotta bring Tork back up to see if time away has helped him. Dingler needs an opportunity. I hope last year was just Harris’ learning curve moment. I also hope he can complete a trade with someone other than Philly.
I agree with most if what you said, except they don’t have to trade Chafin and Miller. Both have options for next year but if someone offers a bunch then why not. I think they should keep Ibanez as their super-sub with Vierling unless someone shells out for him.
If they package some bats and bullpen arms with Flaherty they could get some really good prospects. No end of suitors for starters right now.
Tigers are still terribly managed even Post-Avila. Harris seems to draft well. But is a dud otherwise
Based on what? The Erod trade was bad and Maeda has been a dud but he signed Kelly, Chafin, Miller, Ibanez, Canha, Lorenzen and Flaherty then got Lee for Lorenzen. He’s had some nice low end trades for Leonard and Dickerson. Malloy was a great trade, the Keith signing looks good. Holton off the waiver wire was gold. He’s built one of the better farm systems in the league so they have sustainable talent.
The Tigers are not terribly managed.
Don’t forget about the Soto trade. I’m personally a fan of this trade because I hated watching Soto pitch – he was more nerve wracking for me than Fernando Rodney. Blew more games for us than I care to remember. I was glad to see him go, and at the time, we got 3 players that were immediately put on our 40-man. Even though Maton and Sands didn’t pan out, Vierling did and I’d take him any day of the week over Soto. I consider it a win.
Trading a left handed, 2 time All Star closer, who can hit 100mph on the gun, and getting back 3 utility guys is not what I Consider a win. Yes, Soto hasn’t been the same since the trade, but that was not known at the time. Vierling has been a nice add, but I doubt they were even considering him playing 3B when they acquired him. He was considered a right handed platoon OF. I attribute it working out, somewhat, to luck and desperation.
While Lee looks like a nice prospect, trading for a 2B when 6 months later you sign Keith to a six year contract, doesn’t show a lot of forsight. Did he not know Keith was playing 2B? Did they not plan on talking contract with him? It would be nice to see Harris trade for a position of need.
I would trade Greg “the walk machine” Soto for Matt Vierling 100 times out of 100 times. That trade was an easy win.
Hao Yu Lee will likely be a first baseman in the majors, which is a position of need for the Tigers. That is if he makes it at all. Either way, positional depth is a good thing.
Open the wallet this off season and sign Bregman, Santander, and Burnes.
No
If they don’t trade for a young SS at the deadline who can play next year, I think that is a priority for the iffseadon. Baez needs to go or be benched. Melchez mentioned Kim as a target for the offseason and I agree, especially with his ability to play multiple positions. Thoughts on a SS replacement?
I think for the offseason there best bet would be to sign Kim or trade for Nico Hoerner from the Cubs. Either would be an upgrade but wouldn’t brake the bank.
Kim is the only FA SS of any value. That may make him over priced. Maybe trade for Adames walk year?
Adames is a free agent this offseason as well but I assume he will get payed more as he has more power and a longer track record.
Ain’t that much in the wallet
There’s lots in the wallet. Ilitch just has to open it!
Harris played it close to the vest last deadline, he played it close to the vest in both drafts so I am not surprised that the rumors are drying up. Why? Because the rubber is meeting the road now & the serious offers should be coming in late tonight & all day tomorrow!
Everyone needs pitching. Someone is going to blink on Flaherty and give them something good. Cantcwait to see what they get.
MCBB;
Hello.
Flaherty is a 3 month rental. Not the best track record between 2020 and 2023. I think may teams see him as high-risk.
Not being involved am not sure of the ask price for teams with pitchers to trade, but thus far those that have been moved have gone to teams with deep farm systems that seem willing to overpay some. I expect the logjam to break, but probably not as much as rumored. The other thing is that all the rumors of available pitchers seem to be mentioning the same names. My guess is that negotiations are going on over pitchers not publicized. Some of those will to be moved.
MCBB;
One other thing…..
To me the biggest surprise in MLB thus far has been the AL Central.
Going into the season they were accepted to be the weakest division. Now the Guardians have the 2nd best winning percentage in all of MLB. The Twins are mashing at a rate that fans would associate with the Yankees (that never live up to their pub) – and they have some very good pitchers both starting and in the bullpen. While the Tigers and Royals have played quality baseball for a good portion of the year.
The article clearly demonstrates the covetous nature of the current philosophy.
IF the Tigers were smart, they would package 3 relivers together for Holliday….
RP is extremely important to the playoffs…..
Would Foley, Holton and Chaffin do it?