When looking at the Tigers’ potential trade candidates, the majority of focus is understandably on starting pitchers Jack Flaherty and Tarik Skubal. (The former seems likely to move, the latter does not.) But for all the deserved attention on those arms, Detroit’s roster has several other pieces who could pique the interest of contending clubs. ESPN’s Jeff Passan writes that outfielder/first baseman Mark Canha, for instance, has a “robust” market and could change hands between now and next Tuesday.
Canha, 35, is earning $11.5MM this season and will be a free agent this winter. He’s hit .236/.341/.361 in 358 plate appearances, checking in about 3% better than league average, by measure of wRC+. Canha’s 19.8% strikeout rate is lower than average, and his 11.2% walk rate is comfortably north of average. He’s played both outfield corners and first base in 2024, not necessarily excelling at any one spot but providing a capable hand at each position.
It’s not an eye-catching skill set, but Canha is thriving in one key area: his right-handed bat is pummeling left-handed pitching. In 276 plate appearances against fellow righties this year, Canha carries a tepid .218/.319/.328 slash. In 82 trips to the plate against lefties, however, Canha is hitting .299/.415/.478 (150 wRC+). Canha has had roughly even splits against lefties and righties in his career, with productive lines against both, but over the past couple seasons he’s begun to see a more conventional platoon split. In 248 plate appearances against southpaws dating back to last season, Canha boasts a .275/.379/.469 slash.
Canha still has about $4.2MM of this season’s salary yet to be paid out. That number will drop to $3.83MM by Tuesday’s deadline. A potential trade partner might not want to cover the full freight of that salary in exchange for a 35-year-old who could be used as a platoon option down the stretch, but if the Tigers cover some of the salary, it’s easy enough to see why contending clubs would want to add a productive righty who can play multiple spots on the diamond.
Canha isn’t going to fetch the Tigers a major prospect even if they pay him down to league minimum for his new club, but he’s still appealing in the right role. The Cardinals, Reds, Royals and Mariners are among the playoff hopefuls who have struggled against left-handed pitching this season. The Braves (Ronald Acuna Jr.), Astros (Kyle Tucker) and Padres (Fernando Tatis Jr.) all have star outfielders on the injured list (and Canha could also play some first base in Houston). The Phillies could pair Canha with Brandon Marsh in an outfield platoon. There ought to be several clubs with interest, and as a pending free agent on a team widely expected to sell, Canha has a good chance to move.