Tigers send Jack Flaherty, Mark Canha packing at trade deadline buzzer

So long and farewell to two more Tigers players in walk years. Carson Kelly went out the door on Sunday, Andrew Chafin followed him to the Rangers on Tuesday afternoon, and now — announced mere minutes before the 6 PM deadline — Jack Flaherty and Mark Canha are going in separate ways as well.

Flaherty will head to the Dodgers, after weeks of reported interest, and Canha will head to the Giants, back to (almost) the same place where he spent seven years of his career as an Oakland Athletic. The return for Flaherty from LA will be two prospects: shortstop Trey Sweeney and catcher/first baseman Thayron Liranzo, ranked Nos. 22 and 8 respectively in the Dodgers' (yet to be updated midseason) MLB Pipeline Top 30.

Tigers make last minute trades that send Jack Flaherty, Mark Canha to Dodgers and Giants

Like the trades of Kelly and Chafin, Flaherty and Canha being dealt is wholly unsurprising. What is surprising, however, is that it took this long — Flaherty was spotted in the Tigers' dugout just this afternoon, watching Detroit getting swept by the Guardians in the second of a two-game series.

He's been very much on the Dodgers' radar, and it wouldn't be surprising if Andrew Friedman saw the news that Garrett Crochet wouldn't be dealt by the White Sox and pivoted fully toward Flaherty in the final few minutes before the deadline.

Canha was said to "have a robust market," but specific names weren't cropping up as much as they were in regard to Flaherty. He'll likely slot in as a left fielder for the Giants, who have had to deal with a struggling Michael Conforto there all season.

Tigers fans can also breathe a collective sigh of relief: Tarik Skubal has not been and will not be traded this year. Flaherty and Canha will both be easier to let go of, and we'll have new prospects to watch (Sweeney could very well be a Javy Báez replacement if they buck up and dump him) while hoping they'll help get this team into fighting shape next year.