Detroit Tigers Acquire Promising Pitcher in Deal with Los Angeles Dodgers
Heading into the trade deadline on July 30, the Detroit Tigers find themselves in a position where they could prolong their rebuild by bringing in top prospects in exchange for their best players like Tarik Skubal, or they can be conservative and just offload some expiring contracts.
Rumors have started heating up regarding Tarik Skubal and his availability, but if they were to make that trade, they certainly would be accepting the fact they wouldn't be competing for a few years, no matter what the return package might be.
The Tigers made their first deal on Sunday night, trading away catcher Carson Kelly to the Texas Rangers, getting back two minor leaguers. In this market, the ability for them to ship out players who can help contending teams should be able to net them a return that helps them in the future.
On Monday, Detroit stayed busy in the trade market.
They announced on their social media account that they acquired right-handed pitcher Ricky Vanasco from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for cash considerations and optioned him to their Triple-A affiliate.
The Tigers have acquired RHP Ricky Vanasco from Los Angeles (NL) in exchange for cash considerations and optioned him to Triple A Toledo.
— Tigers PR (@DetroitTigersPR) July 29, 2024
The 25-year-old was drafted in the 15th round out of high school in 2017. He has battled injuries throughout his career which caused him to get off to a slow start, but when he's been on the mound, he's performed well at the minor league level.
In 86 outings and 37 starts, he has a career 3.51 ERA with 265 strikeouts over 197.2 innings pitched. That includes a 10.6 K/9 rate in Triple-A.
This is a low risk move for the Tigers.
Only giving up cash to get this done, they're bringing in a pitcher who has flashed talent in the minors and has thrown two Major League innings in his career.
BRAD WAKAI