Detroit Tigers Named Winners of the Trade Deadline
All in all, it was an impressive trade deadline from the Detroit Tigers. The return for Jack Flaherty could've been better, but considering he's a rental, it's better to get something for him than lose him for nothing in the offseason.
One issue, however, is that after moving Flaherty, they might need to go out and add a pitcher or call one up, as this rotation is paper-thin.
They did trade away many of their veteran players, but Tarik Skubal is still around, and that's more important than anything else right now. Skubal has a strong argument to be the best pitcher in baseball and moving him would've been a bad decision from the front office.
The Tigers need to be prepared to give him however much he's looking for in a few years, as he's someone this team should be looking to keep around for the next decade.
Most of the moves made show that the front office has some faith in the young talent on the roster. If they continue to develop, add pieces around them, and Skubal continues to be as dominant as he's been, Detroit might have a chance to make some noise as soon as 2025.
Stephen J. Nesbitt of The Athletic believes so, too, naming them one of the winners of the trade deadline.
"While they held on to ace Tarik Skubal, as expected, the Tigers managed to make the last splash of the trade deadline, sending Jack Flaherty to the Dodgers at the 11th hour. The Tigers made a smart bet on Flaherty this offseason, and it won. Catcher Thayron Liranzo was recently ranked the Dodgers’ third-best prospect by Baseball America, and shortstop Trey Sweeney was ranked 28th.
"The Tigers also moved Carson Kelly, Mark Canha and Andrew Chafin for prospects. The Scott Harris-led club is headed in the right direction and should be better positioned to contend next season."
Everything Nesbitt alluded to makes perfect sense. As long as they're headed in the right direction, that's all fans can ask for. It's been a few very disappointing years for the Tigers, but this entire season has been a success in some ways.
It should just be the beginning of what could be a fun next few years for Detroit, but that'll ultimately come down to what they do in free agency in the offseason.
That's still a few months away, and they'll need to address that then, but for now, Scott Harris handled the deadline well and should be recognized for that.
JON CONAHAN