Tigers get 3 players from Phils for Soto, Clemens

One of the Tigers’ top trade candidates in Gregory Soto is on the move in a five-player trade Detroit swung with Philadelphia on Saturday afternoon.

Soto and Kody Clemens -- the son of Roger Clemens -- were traded to the Phillies for Nick Maton, Matt Vierling and Donny Sands (the Phils’ No. 21 prospect per MLB Pipeline).

TRADE DETAILS

Tigers get: INF Nick Maton, OF Matt Vierling, C Donny Sands (Phillies' No. 21 prospect)
Phillies get: LHP Gregory Soto, UTIL Kody Clemens

The Tigers are filling several of their needs with this trade, at least on paper.

Maton, 25, is a left-handed bat who can play all over the field, with experience at second, at shortstop and in the outfield, and president of baseball operations Scott Harris said Maton feels comfortable at third base -- an area of need for the Tigers in 2023. Maton posted a 138 OPS+ in 34 games (85 plate appearances) in '22.

“Nick Maton is another versatile position player who has a history of controlling the zone,” Harris said. “He has already hit right-handed pitching in the big leagues. … When you watch Nick take ground balls, it’s [an] easy, fluid action. He has plenty of arm to make plays deep in the hole, which makes us feel like he’s going to be comfortable at third and everywhere else.”

Vierling is a speedy, right-handed outfield bat who profiles as a fourth outfielder. The 26-year-old had an 83 OPS+ across 117 games in '22, and he hit .295 against left-handed pitching last season, giving manager A.J. Hinch a platoon option. Harris also mentioned Vierling’s speed as an upgrade to the offense; his sprint speed (29.6 ft./sec.) ranks in the 97th percentile, per Statcast.

“That’s really hard to find,” Harris said. “… He has a track record of controlling the strike zone. He can play everywhere on the diamond, and he’s already performed at a high level in the big leagues. We also think that he brings some athleticism, versatility and speed that can really enhance our overall offensive unit in 2023.

“We also think the speed component may be of greater importance with the new rules, so it’s nice to add a little bit more speed to our offense.”

Both Maton and Vierling were young depth pieces that contributed to the Phillies’ postseason run, and both have upside that made them intriguing to Harris in his first offseason with Detroit. Time will tell if they can turn into productive players who can upgrade Detroit’s offense.

Sands is a catcher, a position the Tigers targeted this offseason as they try to build depth behind Eric Haase and Jake Rogers. Sands, who spent the entire season on the 40-man roster but only a brief stint in the Majors in September, is a bat-first catcher, posting an .841 OPS in Triple-A last season. The Tigers believe there is more in the bat and are “confident in his abilities behind the dish,” Harris said.

Soto was the Tigers’ closer and an All-Star last season, recording 30 saves and a 3.28 ERA across 60 1/3 innings. Armed with nasty stuff that is dominant when he is commanding the baseball, Soto is a hard-throwing lefty reliever who can strengthen the Phillies' bullpen as a late-inning reliever. Soto’s whiff rates declined last season, especially with his slider, and he was handed 11 losses. But opponents hit just .195 against his four-seamer, which regularly reaches triple digits.

Soto isn’t slated for free agency until after the 2025 season, which put a high price tag on him in the trade market.

Sands is a catcher, a position the Tigers targeted this offseason as they try to build depth behind Eric Haase and Jake Rogers. Sands, who spent the entire season on the 40-man roster but only a brief stint in the Majors in September, is a bat-first catcher, posting an .841 OPS in Triple-A last season. The Tigers believe there is more in the bat and are “confident in his abilities behind the dish,” Harris said.

Soto was the Tigers’ closer and an All-Star last season, recording 30 saves and a 3.28 ERA across 60 1/3 innings. Armed with nasty stuff that is dominant when he is commanding the baseball, Soto is a hard-throwing lefty reliever who can strengthen the Phillies' bullpen as a late-inning reliever. Soto’s whiff rates declined last season, especially with his slider, and he was handed 11 losses. But opponents hit just .195 against his four-seamer, which regularly reaches triple digits.

Soto isn’t slated for free agency until after the 2025 season, which put a high price tag on him in the trade market.

The Tigers' bullpen will look different next season without Soto, Joe Jiménez (traded to the Braves), Wily Peralta and Andrew Chafin (both free agents), but Harris views Saturday’s trade as a “calculated risk” to upgrade the offense and plug positional holes.

“The bullpen was an area of strength for us, but we have to address the areas of weakness, too,” Harris said. “We’ve done a lot of work to add to our pitching and defense to try to stabilize this group, and we have to reshape the offense. We’ve been talking about it since the day I got here.

“You’re never entirely confident that young players are going to hit in the big leagues, but you’re a little more confident when you see flashes of them performing in the big leagues already. And with Nick and Matt, we’ve already seen that in the big leagues. With Donny, he’s performed at a really high level in Triple-A with the bat.”

Clemens, 26, is a utility player who spent most of his playing time at second base in 2022. He hit .145 with five homers in 117 MLB at-bats last season.