DETROIT – The Detroit Tigers have made their first move of the trade deadline, sending a catcher to the Texas Rangers for a pair of prospects.
Carson Kelly wasn’t considered one of the Tigers’ stronger trade chips this month, but he’s had a resurgent offensive season, and it’s no surprise that teams in need of a second catcher were interested.
While Kelly’s .710 OPS in 58 total games might seem a bit uninspiring, he’s slashing .272/.344/.474. since May 15, making him one of the top offensive catchers in the league over that span.
Since he’s a pending free agent at the end of the season, the Tigers were never going to get much for Kelly. The Rangers sent over two low-rated prospects in the deal.
Tyler Owens is the better of the two prospects. The 23-year-old relief pitcher owns a 2.80 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in 35.1 Double-A innings this season. He’s struck out 35 batters and walked nine.
Liam Hicks looks like a potential career minor-leaguer as a 25-year-old playing at Double-A. The Tigers were probably drawn to his plate discipline -- 41 walks and 44 strikeouts across 80 games this season.
Hicks has a .364 on-base percentage but hits for almost no power. He has 11 home runs in 952 career plate appearances in the minor leagues.
This was the first of what should be multiple moves for the Tigers by 4 p.m. Tuesday. They will likely trade starting pitcher Jack Flaherty, and the trio of Andrew Chafin, Mark Canha, and Gio Urshela also seem like plausible rentals for contenders.
Rumors have swirled around superstar pitcher Tarik Skubal in recent weeks, but a trade involving him is starting to seem less likely.