Former Cal Star Mark Canha Traded to Giants

Veteran outfielder Canha acquired from Detroit and returns to the Bay Area, hoping to give San Francisco a late-season push

Mark Canha / John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Former Cal star Mark Canha is coming back to the Bay Area.

The San Francisco Giants acquired Canha from the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday in a trade that sent right-handed pitcher Eric Silva to Detroit. 

Canha is a Bay Area guy.  He was born in San Jose, attended Bellarime College Preparatory High School in San Jose and played his college baseball at Cal. A seventh-round pick in the 2010 Major League Baseball draft, Canha spent his first seven major-league seasons with the Oakland A’s.

He has since played with the New York Mets and the Milwaukee Brewers before signing with the Tigers this season.

His best skill may be his ability to get hit by pitches. He has been hit 136 times in his 10-year major league career.

The 35-year-old Canha is hitting .231 with seven homers this season, but he is batting .303 over his last 11 games. He has been an outfielder and designated hitter for the Tigers this season but he can also play first base. He improved at the plate in July after taking time off to work on his swing and rest a hip injury.

His best season was 2019 when he hit .273 with 26 homers while playing for the A's. He led the league twice in hit by pitches, getting plunked 27 times in 2021 while with the A's and getting hit 28 times in 2022 with the Mets.

He is an energetic player who should help as a veteran presence in the clubhouse. Canha figures to get most of his playing time against left-handed pitchers, as he is hitting .286 with an .857 OPS against southpaws this season.

Canha is in the final year of a three-year deal he signed with the Mets before the 2022 season, so he may be with the Giants for only the rest of this season.

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