*Photo from NBC 15*
The offseason has begun, and so have the trades. The Detroit Tigers have acquired OF Mark Canha from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for RHP Blake Holub, according to both teams on Saturday.
Detroit president of baseball operations Scott Harris said that "Mark is an on base machine. He goes up to the plate with a plan. He grinds out at-bats. He never gives in to pitchers. He makes a ton of contact. He’s been one of the biggest on-base threats in our game over the last four or five years. So I think he immediately makes us better."
There is a $11.5 million team option for the 2024 season attached to Canha's contract, which the Tigers will exercise. Since 2019, Canha has a .370 on base percentage, which will boost a Tigers lineup that ranked 26th in baseball in on base percentage in 2023.
Canha spent 2023 with the New York Mets and Brewers, being traded to Milwaukee at the deadline. He combined to post a .262/.355/.400 slash line, hitting 11 home runs with 25 doubles, 11 stolen bases, and 62 RBI's in 139 games. He had 3 hits in 8 at bats in the playoffs.
Harris said of Canha that "It's no secret we're going to have a very young team next year. Adding Mark, who's a high-character guy who brings grit and toughness to our team, as a veteran who's seen a lot in this game, will only help our young guys adapt to the big leagues faster. I also think adding this type of bat with this caliber of approach at the plate can only help the young players. I hope many of our young hitters emulate this type of approach when they see it every day."
Canha has played for the Mets, Brewers, and Oakland Athletics in his big league career, spanning 9 seasons. He has a .250/.349/.422 slash line, driving in 417 RBI's with 113 home runs and 156 doubles in 924 games. He has a .149 batting average with a .241 on base percentage in 14 playoff games.
Coming back to the Brewers is Holub, a relief pitcher who wasn't ranked in the Tigers top 30 prospects. The 25 year old was a 15th round pick by the Tigers in the 2021 draft out of St. Edward's University in Texas.
Holub spent the 2023 season with High A West Michigan and Double A Erie. Across both levels, he combined to post a 3.03 ERA and 1.071 WHIP, averaging 10.5 strikeouts per 9 innings and 2.3 walks per 9 in 48 relief appearances, totaling 65 1/3 innings.
Asked about trading Holub, Harris said that "I didn’t want to trade Blake. He’s a talented young reliever who has a chance to pitch in a Major League bullpen in the future. But in this game, you have to give up something to get something. I think that in this case, our player development group deserves a lot of credit here. They helped Blake take a huge step forward this year. Ryan Garko and his staff helped him get in the zone, his stuff improved and he put together a really nice year that made him a valuable trade chip for us to go out and acquire Mark."
In Detroit, the right handed hitting Canha will join a lefty heavy outfield that features Kerry Carpenter, Parker Meadows, Akil Baddoo, and Riley Greene, with Matt Vierling also able to play the outfield and Austin Meadows potentially returning.
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