Detroit Tigers Already Regretting Trade With San Francisco Giants
The Detroit Tigers can't seem to do anything right these days, so it should come as no surprise that one of their recent trades is already backfiring.
After acquiring Mark Canha from the Milwaukee Brewers last offseason, the Tigers watched him immediately regress. In 93 games for Detroit this season, the 35-year-old batted a paltry .231/.337/.350 with seven home runs and 38 RBI. Age seemed to be catching up to him, and nobody complained when the Tigers shipped him to the San Francisco Giants at the MLB Trade Deadline for minor-league pitcher Eric Silva.
Well, it turns out that Canha may not have been over the hill after all. The California native has gotten off to a terrific start with his new team, going 8-for-18 (.444) with three RBI in his first five games with the Giants as his bat has woken up. One of those RBI came on a walk-off sacrifice fly on Friday night against Detroit, sealing a crushing 3-2 loss for the Tigers at Oracle Park.
MARK CANHA WALKS IT OFF IN HIS FIRST HOME GAME AS A GIANT 🙌 pic.twitter.com/IcXHk4LOXM
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) August 10, 2024
Canha also singled and scored the tying run earlier in the game -- further proof that the Tigers messed up by trading him.
Canha will be a free agent this offseason, so Detroit needed to get something for him before he left, especially after falling out of contention. But with their offense struggling to score runs consistently, the Tigers could have used a productive veteran like Canha to help mentor the kids and keep their diminished roster afloat down the stretch.
Instead, Canha's helping win games for another team at Detroit's expense. He appears rejuvenated and still has something left in the tank, especially now that he's playing for a motivated team with postseason hopes.
Given how quickly Canha returned to form after the trade, maybe the Tigers were the problem all along.
TYLER MAHER