Detroit Tigers: 3 reactions to the Mark Canha trade

Detroit Tigers acquire Mark Canha; how will it affect the roster?

The Detroit Tigers made their first off-season move when they went out and grabbed Mark Canha from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for minor-leaguer Blake Holub. The team was able to flip a 25-year-old reliever in exchange for the right-handed hitting outfielder as part of the simple trade.

It seems like a good trade for the Detroit Tigers, who are picking up a solid addition in the veteran outfielder Canha. He's more than just an outfielder as well, having experience playing corner infield as well, though it seems that Detroit is going to utilize him in a corner outfield spot.

Canha is a 34-year-old veteran of the big leagues who has bounced around over the last nine years after breaking into the league with the Oakland Athletics. He played seven seasons in Oakland before spending time with the New York Mets and then the Milwaukee Brewers during the 2023 season.

With the move to bring in Canha, the Tigers are picking up an $11.5 million bill for the 2024 season. He had a club option that the Brewers organization was not going to pick up, so Detroit was able to work out a deal and also come away picking up Canha's option.

While it looks like a solid move on paper, let's take a look at some of the reactions from the fanbase with regard to adding a new outfielder. There were some good and some bad, and some from Brewers fans concerned about their organization's future, but let's talk Tigers.

Reaction #1: Jed (@TigersJUK)

Noted Detroit Tigers fan across the pond, @TigersJUK, shared his thoughts. Jed's always good to tell you like it is, and he does just that. It's a move that will not shatter the world or put the Tigers into an era of competition by any means. But Detroit's getting a nice veteran to throw into the mix.

As Jed highlights in his tweet, there's a versatility aspect to like here, and he adds a veteran bat into the outfield. Canha's a good start for the Tigers this off-season as they look to take some chances as the 2023-24 off-season gets going. It's a move that proves the team is trying to make some changes and trying to move the needle in the right direction.

In his tweet, Jed notes that Canha will not be relied upon every day. It's something that will shield him in a way. He will be able to get at-bats while also serving as a leader amongst the younger crop of outfielders that will patrol the grass in 2024. Detroit's going to try and squeeze value out of Canha.

It may not be the most significant trade in the world, but the Tigers were able to flip a prospect for a veteran player, picking up the option on his contract. It should be labeled as a win for the Tigers in the early moments after the deal.

Reaction #3: Jack Stern (@ByJackStern)

For the last reaction, I chose to flip the script and go look at a Brewers fan. Jack Stern tweeted out his thoughts about the deal, sending Canha to Detroit, and it provides a much different viewpoint than that of the ones being held by the Tigers fans. But it's good to compare and contrast, so Tigers fans, let's hear it out.

Stern mentions that he's concerned about Canha's age, albeit he is 34 years old and not getting any younger. But that's also a price to pay for a veteran player, especially when he will play a role with this team's outfield group, so the age should not be as concerning as it seems on the front.

The second point that Stern makes is that he is concerned that his age is going to lead to a real downward trend in performance. On top of that, he believes that Canha will be a below-average hitter moving forward or regress to that level. For the Tigers, it should not be something of concern with this deal.

Canha may be on the wrong side of the age range and experience a regression, but the Tigers are not expecting him to churn out success over 500+ at-bats. He will be a player they plug in as needed, and they're not expecting 162 games of pure success.