Tigers deal Chafin, Canha for three pitching prospects

DETROIT -- Andrew Chafin joked last week that as a lefty reliever, he has sweated the Trade Deadline for the past eight years. For the fourth time in five years, he was proven right to do so.

Mark Canha had taken a more laid-back approach to the Deadline, but knew his value as a veteran outfielder could send him elsewhere. He, too, ended up saying farewell.

The Tigers reached an agreement in the hours before Tuesday’s 6 p.m. ET Trade Deadline to send Chafin to the Rangers for right-handed prospects Joseph Montalvo and Chase Lee, then dealt Canha to the Giants for right-handed reliever Eric Silva.

The Tigers-Rangers swap marks the second trade the two teams have made in three days. Detroit sent catcher Carson Kelly to Texas on Sunday evening for two prospects.

TRADE DETAILS:
Tigers receive: RHP Joseph Montalvo and RHP Chase Lee from Rangers, RHP Eric Silva from Giants
Rangers receive: LHP Andrew Chafin
Giants receive: OF Mark Canha

The trade ends Chafin’s second Tigers tenure after four months. The 34-year-old signed with Detroit last offseason, reuniting with his 2022 club and coaching staff and hoping to bounce back from a rocky ‘23 campaign between Arizona and Milwaukee.

Chafin’s numbers showed improvement, including chase and whiff rates that put him in the top five percent of MLB pitchers and an expected ERA in the top seven percent. His slider has been as good as ever, including a 54.3 percent whiff rate. He has made it his primary pitch, throwing it 46.4 percent of the time while dropping his four- and two-seam fastball usage. Chafin has been tough on left-handed hitters after showing reverse splits his previous two seasons. He posted one save for Detroit but was used in many high-leverage situations in a versatile bullpen that includes lefty Tyler Holton.

Chafin also offers some flexibility beyond this season. His $4.25 million contract includes a $6.5 million club option for 2025 or $500,000 buyout.

Chafin was part of a Tigers bullpen that handled a heavy workload all season despite a rotation fronted by American League Cy Young favorite Tarik Skubal and Jack Flaherty, who was traded to the Dodgers on Tuesday. The club could have brought him back for next year but opted to take advantage of a seller’s market for proven relievers.

“I didn't think we had any urgency to move Chafin,” president of baseball operations Scott Harris said. “He's been one of our best relievers at this level, and we had an option to retain him for next year. I think the reason we moved him was because we're excited about the arms that we got.”

Montalvo, the Rangers’ No. 27 prospect, has quietly climbed their system as a high-strikeout, low-ERA starter since being taken in the 20th round of the 2021 MLB Draft. He posted a 4-2 record and 2.44 ERA through 13 starts this season at High-A Hickory, allowing 48 hits over 59 innings with 19 walks and 73 strikeouts.

“Montalvo is a really interesting young arm,” Harris said. “He's already punching out a lot of guys and has already flashed the shapes that we feel like we can help continue to develop in this organization. We think there's a lot of growth for him.

“We love the delivery. We love the athlete. We love the performance that he's had in his young career. We think that he still has a ton of opportunity moving forward.”

The 25-year-old Lee has spent parts of the past three seasons in the bullpen at Triple-A Round Rock, but he returned to the mound last month after offseason hip surgery. The sidearm reliever has a career strikeout rate of 12.21 per nine innings, including 11 over 10 2/3 innings in eight appearances for Round Rock this year. The former Alabama teammate of Tigers pitching prospect Dylan Smith could give Detroit some relief depth down the stretch, though he will be Rule 5 Draft eligible this offseason.

“He's one of those relievers that creates really tough angles on hitters,” Harris said. “When you hear [manager] A.J. [Hinch] talk about trying to find really good matchups to help us win games or help us get out of a jam, it's my job to give him as many different options from as many different slots as possible. And Chase Lee gives us another opportunity to add a different look in our pen at some point in the future.”

Canha loomed as a rental candidate all summer after the Tigers’ slow start. Detroit had acquired him from Milwaukee at the start of last offseason to add a veteran hitter and outfielder to what was an overwhelmingly young lineup. The 35-year-old hit .231/.337/.350 in 93 games, good for a 94 OPS+, but he was far more effective against left-handed pitching with an .857 OPS. The deal, which came together moments before the 6 p.m. Deadline, brings him back to the Bay Area after he began his career in Oakland from 2015-21.

Silva has a high-strikeout arm, fanning 51 batters over 41 1/3 innings this season at Double-A Richmond, but the 21-year-old has also battled command issues over his pro career with 4.3 walks per nine innings, though he has improved on that this season. He posted a 4-2 record with two saves and a 4.35 ERA in 28 games out of the bullpen this year. While he held right-handed hitters to a .206 average and lefties to a .193 clip, his walks could be untimely. He becomes the Tigers’ No. 25 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.