What's next for Tigers post-Canha deal?

This story was excerpted from Jason Beck’s Tigers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

The last time the Tigers opened the Hot Stove season with a trade this quickly was when they acquired catcher Tucker Barnhart from the Reds two years ago. That got Detroit a head start to a busy offseason that included signings of free agents Eduardo Rodriguez and Javier Báez, and a declaration from general manager Al Avila that Detroit was ready to take the next step.

We all know how the ensuing season went. Báez and Austin Meadows are the only major acquisitions from that 2022 offseason still on the roster, and that’s mainly because struggles steered Meadows away from opting out of his contract and testing the free-agent market again.

Last weekend’s deal to get outfielder Mark Canha from the Brewers felt different. First, it addressed a clear need to upgrade and diversify the offense, the biggest question the Tigers faced this season. Second, it’s a move that fits into the overarching philosophy the team has adopted since Scott Harris took over as president of baseball operations: Dominate the strike zone.

There’s no projection involved. Canha doesn’t have to do anything that he hasn’t already done. He just has to be himself. He was among the top 22 percent of MLB hitters in low chase rate this year, the top 14 percent in swing-and-miss rate and the top 13 percent in strikeout rate, trends that have generally followed him since 2019.

“I'm just grateful for Scott Harris recognizing me as someone he would want to play for his ballclub,” Canha told MLB Network Radio on Monday. “It's never lost on me the amount of trust and respect that people have shown me throughout the course of my career, and for Scott to show that same trust, it means a lot as an athlete and as a player. I'm flattered, and anyone who shows that kind of trust in me, I'm going to go to war for.”

Canha’s arrival also has the potential for a big ripple effect on the club. Here are three takeaways that could shape the rest of the offseason:

1. The outfield is crowded

Detroit already had Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter, Parker Meadows, Matt Vierling and Akil Baddoo returning, plus Austin Meadows under club control and prospect Justyn-Henry Malloy knocking on the door. Manager A.J. Hinch has already discussed playing Vierling at third base and using the DH slot to help address the potential glut. Canha adds to the mix and furthers the likelihood of additional moves.

The latter Meadows’ future is uncertain as he addresses his mental health. Baddoo is eligible for arbitration as a Super Two player and could be a trade candidate, though his speed and newfound plate discipline make him valuable even in a part-time role.

2. Leadership matters

Detroit has generally made moves without regard to clubhouse chemistry, a trend that began well before the team’s youth movement over the past few years. The result was a clubhouse that got along well this year but had more quiet leaders in Miguel Cabrera and Rodriguez, both of whom are gone. Canha, while brought on primarily for his bat, has a chance to fill the void.

“We did a lot of work on Mark, and we feel really good about what he’s going to add to our clubhouse,” Harris said after the trade. “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.”

3. Offseason of the trade market?

Though Blake Holub wasn’t a ranked prospect, he was an example of how the Tigers’ investment in pitching development can help later draft picks blossom into Major League talent and potential trade chips. Detroit has many more young arms that Harris can offer teams. That could prove valuable as Harris tries to find impact hitters despite a thin free-agent market.

“We’re not in a place where we want to be, where we have excess arms; I don’t think that at all,” Harris said. “So it’s always tough to give up a young arm; you have to give up something to get this type of bat. But I think the progress that our pitching development group has made in just one year here really inspired me that they’re going to be able to find some of these young arms that are going to be able to help us in the future, either in the big leagues or as trade chips.”