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Breaking down 'haul of young talent' acquired by Detroit Tigers at 2024 trade deadline
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- Breaking down 'haul of young talent' acquired by Detroit Tigers at 2024 trade deadline
The 2024 trade deadline is in the books.
The Detroit Tigers traded four players: right-hander Jack Flaherty to the Los Angeles Dodgers , left-handed reliever Andrew Chafin to the Texas Rangers , catcher Carson Kelly to the Rangers and outfielder Mark Canha to the San Francisco Giants .
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In return, the Tigers acquired seven players: catcher/first baseman Thayron Liranzo , right-hander Joseph Montalvo , shortstop Trey Sweeney , right-handed reliever Eric Silva , right-handed reliever Tyler Owens , right-handed reliever Chase Lee and catcher Liam Hicks .
"We feel like we added a haul of young talent at this deadline that is going to help us win a lot of games on that field moving forward," said president of baseball operations Scott Harris.
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Here's what to know about the seven players the Tigers acquired, with insight from prospect expert Chris Clegg :
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C/1B Thayron Liranzo
Thayron Liranzo of the Los Angeles Dodgers awaits a pitch during the fifth inning of the All-Star Futures Game at Globe Life Field on July 13, 2024 in Arlington, Texas.
Age:21.
Acquired:From Dodgers for Jack Flaherty .
Affiliate:High-A West Michigan.
The buzz:Liranzo hit .220 with seven home runs, 49 walks and 82 strikeouts across 74 games in High-A Great Lakes. He slots in as the Tigers' No. 5 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline . He just turned 21, but he is already Rule 5 draft eligible in 2025, so within the next 15 months, he needs to develop enough for the Tigers to put him on the 40-man roster — or else they'll risk losing him. Liranzo, a switch-hitter who could be limited to first base in the long term, possesses high upside as a slugger, but he has a long way to go in his development with the bat and the glove.
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What Clegg said:"Liranzo can hit. He's certainly got all the power in the world. Last year, it was a 50% hard-hit rate. It's running a little bit down this year, but still pretty close. It was a .440 xwOBA on contact (also known as xDamage) last year, which is kind of absurd for someone that was still 19 and 20. He's got an incredible frame at 6 feet 3, 195 pounds. It's a profile that is going to have some whiff and contact concerns, but there's actually been some improvement this year in that department, which has been encouraging to see. Last year, it was about a 65% contract rate, which is a little bit lower than I'd like to see, but this year, it's up above 68%, so we're making some strides.
"There's still some strikeouts, but it's a patient approach, too, like you're going to see Liranzo take his walks, he's not going to expand the zone too often, and it's kind of evident in the walk rates. Last year, it was a 16.7% walk rate. This year, it's 15.6%, so he's going to run higher on-base percentages. I know it's a little bit underwhelming to look at the surface and say, 'Why is this guy not performing?' But I still have held steady on the kind of prospect that I think Liranzo is.
"This is a guy that's going to take some time to develop. He's still pretty young, still kind of raw in the field. Does he stick behind the plate? I think it's a good question, but he does give you a little bit of versatility where he can play first base if you need to. He can also DH.
"He's split time pretty evenly this year between catcher, first base and DH. He has allowed quite a few stolen bases: 80 stolen bases allowed, just 14 caught stealing. It's a little bit concerning there, but the bat is obviously the carrying tool in what you want in Liranzo.
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"I think this is someone that Tigers fans should be excited about. It's a new situation. He was in a spot in Los Angeles where he was buried on the depth chart with a lot of catching prospects in that system, and now, he gets a chance to thrive, and I think he has the potential to move a little quicker now. I'll be curious how the Tigers handle Liranzo, but it's big power upside, it's really good OBP skills. I really like what he brings to the table. There's top-100 (prospect) potential here. I've got him top-150ish."
RHP Joseph Montalvo
Age:22.
Acquired:From Rangers for Andrew Chafin .
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Affiliate:High-A West Michigan.
The buzz:Montalvo logged a 2.44 ERA with 19 walks and 73 strikeouts across 59 innings in 13 starts in High-A Hickory. He ranks as the Tigers' No. 20 prospect. Montalvo, who throws a 91 mph fastball, profiles as a fifth starter if he develops. He will be Rule 5 eligible in December, so in three months, the Tigers need to put him on the 40-man roster.
(Other new Rule 5 eligible players who need to be added to the 40-man roster this offseason: Ty Madden, Brant Hurter, Lael Lockhart, Justice Bigbie, Tyler Mattison and RJ Petit, along with Trey Sweeney and Chase Lee.)
What Clegg said:"It's a really solid profile, like a fourth or fifth starter type. Very good command. I think he's got plus command of his arsenal. He doesn't have one dominant pitch, but it's a solid three-pitch mix here. It's a former 20th-round pick, so the fact that he's developed like he has is pretty impressive. He has a drop and dive release with a three-quarters release height. The fastball is 92-94 mph with good horizontal movement. The slider actually gets pretty good sweeping action. I'd say that's his best pitch. It's in the lower-80s. The mid-80s change gets some late fade on it, mostly used against lefties.
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"Montalvo is pretty athletic, and he throws a lot of strikes. I'm curious as to if the Tigers can sneak him through (the Rule 5 draft) without putting him on the 40-man (roster) this offseason. I think it's an arm where you keep him at the lower levels. I think that's why Texas protected him and kept him at the lower levels despite some success. He has a 30% strikeout rate and sub-8% walk rate. I wonder if them keeping him at the lower levels was to keep eyes off him for the Rule 5 draft. The Tigers are probably good there, but it is an intriguing arm to me.
"He has that starter profile. He has that starter frame. The athleticism on the mound, paired with the command, is solid."
SS Trey Sweeney
Age:24.
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Acquired:From Dodgers for Jack Flaherty.
Affiliate:Triple-A Toledo.
The buzz:Sweeney, also Rule 5-eligible this winter, hit .255 with 13 home runs, 44 walks and 118 strikeouts across 96 games in Triple-A Oklahoma City. He ranks as the Tigers' No. 24 prospect. He is a below-average defender and likely fits as a utility player who specializes in second base and third base. The left-handed hitter has average contact skills and makes good swing decisions, but so far in his development, he hits the ball in the air too often without getting to optimal exit velocities to the pull side, limiting his home-run potential. He was the No. 20 overall pick in the 2021 draft by the New York Yankees , but he has already been traded by two organizations.
What Clegg said:"Sweeney is someone that I've been a big fan of since the draft. He's a bigger frame shortstop at 6 foot 3. He's not super flashy and doesn't really have tools that jump off the board at you, but he does a lot of things really well, and I think it's under-appreciated at times. He has been solid in Triple-A this year, and he's a little older, he just turned 24. People get antsy with prospects and get the prospect fatigue: Why is this guy not up yet? Well, he was blocked in both systems in New York and Los Angeles. I think it's a chance for him to have a start where he can step right in Detroit, and I think he can potentially fit in this major-league lineup pretty soon.
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"It's been around a .250 average for his entire career. The contact numbers are right around average. This year, it's a 72% contact rate overall and an 82% in-zone contact rate. It's a lower chase rate, 26%, so a better than average chase. He actually hits the ball pretty hard. You might not see it looking at the home run totals, but he's got an average exit velocity near 91 mph, which is solid, and a 45% hard-hit rate. There's just the problem that he hits the ball on the ground a little bit too much. Maybe a swing tweak here or there could really benefit him. Last year, it was just a 33% ground-ball rate. This year, it's a 46% ground-ball rate. I'm not sure why he's hitting less fly balls and more ground balls, but I'm curious if Detroit can figure out something there to help him unlock a little more loft in that swing. He's got speed, too. He's going to give you some stolen bases.
"He's been a shortstop, but I think he can play third base. I wouldn't be shocked to see him slide over there. He could even play second base in a pinch, too. I really do like the profile here. It's an interesting one, but it's one that I think is undervalued. There's a lot to like and certainly some things to unlock."
RHP Eric Silva
Age:21.
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Acquired:From Giants for Mark Canha .
Affiliate:Double-A Erie.
The buzz:Silva posted a 4.35 ERA with 18 walks and 51 strikeouts across 41⅓ innings in 28 relief appearances in Double-A Richmond. He slots in as the Tigers' No. 25 prospect. (He isn't Rule 5 draft eligible until 2025, along with Liranzo.) Silva, who likes to throw his 93 mph fastball at the top of the strike zone, has upside because he has good feel for spinning his breaking balls.
What Clegg said:"Silva was a high-upside starter when he was drafted as a fourth-round pick, and it didn't really pan out for him. The command wasn't there, and he didn't really miss enough bats. (The Giants) moved him to a relief role, and it's paid off in a way. The command is still shaky at best. The strike rate has improved, so he's throwing more strikes, but he's still walking a little bit more than you'd like to see from a reliever, but in turn, he's missing more bats, too. Hitters are hitting .195 off him this year. Fastball is in the upper-90s. It's a pretty high-effort delivery, though. The curveball is probably his best secondary, and he'll mix in a slider and changeup on occasion. He's certainly best suited for a bullpen role at this point. I'm curious what the Tigers see and if they think they can potential move him back to the starter role."
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"He was fully a starting pitcher until this year, but I don't think there's a ton to see here at this point. Finding the consistency with the arsenal, with the fastball command is going to be pretty big for him. Most likely a reliever, organizational depth type, but you never know if the Tigers could unlock something here."
RHP Tyler Owens
Age:23.
Acquired:From Rangers for Carson Kelly .
Affiliate:Double-A Erie.
The buzz:Owens, who is already Rule 5-eligible, isn't ranked among the Tigers' top 30 prospects. He registered a 2.80 ERA with nine walks and 35 strikeouts across 35⅓ innings in 26 relief appearances with Double-A Frisco. He throws a high-velocity fastball that generates swings and misses, along with a slider, cutter and splitter. The splitter could help him improve against left-handed hitters, but it's a new pitch and needs significant improvement. The Tigers are his third organization after being drafted by the Atlanta Braves .
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What Clegg said:"It's an interesting profile. He's listed at like 5-10, but I think he's a little shorter. The fastball is really lethal. It's 96-98 mph with really good ride up in the zone. It really does, from his release height, get that carrying effect, where it does seem to have a ton of ride to it. His slider can run up to near 90 mph with good sweeping action. He has a mid-80s curve that he throws and an upper-80s changeup. It's a very fastball-reliant profile, and I think it does fit best in the bullpen, which is where he probably sticks. The results have been good. He doesn't miss a ton of bats, but he limits hard contact, doesn't allow a lot of base runners, which is encouraging, and he doesn't issue a ton of walks. He's in Double-A, but he has the potential to move pretty quick. I think you could see him in Detroit's bullpen fairly soon."
RHP Chase Lee
Age:25.
Acquired:From Rangers for Andrew Chafin.
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Affiliate:Triple-A Toledo.
The buzz:Lee, like Owens, isn't ranked on the top-30 list. He logged a 1.69 ERA with seven walks and 11 strikeouts across 10⅔ innings in eight relief appearances with Triple-A Round Rock. He will be Rule 5-eligible in December. Lee throws an 89 mph sinker from a sidearm delivery, as well as a sweeper. He has a career 4.19 ERA in 105⅓ innings at the Triple-A level. He is still awaiting his MLB debut.
What Clegg said:"He is really unique. It's a side-arm submarine, 3-feet-10 release height. The fastball sits around 90, but he misses bats because it's such an odd release and pitch. It's a high-spinning fastball with good arm-side run. It's basically fastball, slider here. The slider has heavy sweeping action, sitting around 80 mph. He has a 38% whiff rate on that pitch, which is pretty encouraging. A lot of uniqueness with Lee. The fact that he's in Triple-A tells me that he's probably pretty close to ready if the Tigers did want to bump him up and push him. He's older. He's 26 in August. I wouldn't be shocked to see him in the major-league bullpen at some point soon."
C Liam Hicks
Age:25.
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Acquired:From Rangers for Carson Kelly.
Affiliate:Double-A Erie.
The buzz:Hicks, another unranked player on the top-30 list, has the upside of a Triple-A catcher. He hit .260 with four home runs, 41 walks and 44 strikeouts in 80 games in Double-A Frisco. The left-handed hitting catcher makes smart swing decisions and produces above-average contact rates, but the downside is poor contact quality. He hit .449 in the Arizona Fall League in 2023, but without any home runs. Hicks is a below-average defender.
What Clegg said:"He was the star of the AFL last year. He came out of nowhere and had a massive AFL. But it's a very contact-oriented profile with pretty minimal power. The exit velocities are well below average. It's an 86 mph average exit velocity and a 99 mph average 90th percentile exit velocity. But he can lift and pull the ball, which is encouraging. When you don't hit the ball really hard, you have to be able to have those traits to be able to lift the ball and pull it. He's probably not a catcher. He can play there, also first base or DH. The contact skills are the carrying tool here. It's a very strong contact rate this year, at 87% overall, and he doesn't chase often at all with a 16% chase rate. It's a hit-first profile, but he doesn't really fit the mold of a first base, DH type. He's pretty unique in that sense where he makes so much contact that he's going to get on base a good bit, but he doesn't really provide a ton with the bat or with the glove."
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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' new prospects: Clock is ticking on Rule 5 drafts
