Tigers trade pitcher to Rays and now fans are wondering if it was a mistake

After the Detroit Tigers designated right-handed pitcher Mason Englert for assignment last week, the Tampa Bay Rays swooped in to claim him off waivers. On Wednesday, it became official when the two teams agreed to a trade.

In exchange for Englert. Tampa Bay is sending minor league southpaw Drew Sommers to Detroit. Sommers, an 11th-round pick by the Rays in 2022, is not considered a top prospect by any means, but he will at least give the Tigers a lefty relief option to add to their farm system.

Tigers trade pitcher to Rays and now fans are wondering if it's a mistake

After two years in the Tigers organization, Englert became a casualty of the Jack Flaherty signing last week. The 25-year-old Rule 5 pick from the Texas Rangers spent the past two seasons bouncing between Triple-A Toledo and Detroit.

Appearing in both starting and relief roles at the Major League level, Englert pitched to a 5.45 ERA over 77 2/3 innings for the Tigers. He had a rather unimpressive 16.5% strikeout rate, but he limited walks to a more respectable 6.4% clip.

Englert's big league numbers aren't anything to write home about, but his minor league performance last season was more promising. He tossed 49 2/3 innings across three levels of Detroit's farm system over 32 appearances in 2024 with a 3.08 ERA, 33% strikeout rate and 8.9% walk rate. His success last season was due in large part to his most-used pitch: his dominant changeup.

Englert doesn't throw gas, with his average fastball velocity sitting at just above 92 mph. However, his nasty changeup averages just over 86 mph and gets extreme vertical drop – nearly 6 inches more than average, according to Baseball Savant. It has frequently frustrated hitters with its unpredictable movement pattern.

Clearly, the Rays saw potential in Englert, a young pitcher who can eat innings and has remaining minor league options that would give them the flexibility to shuttle him between Tampa Bay and Triple-A Durham as needed. Only time will tell if the Tigers will come to regret the move – but at this point, it's hard to argue that getting Flaherty back in the rotation wasn't worth the loss of Englert. You just always need to keep your head on a swivel when the Rays coming calling for one of your players because it seems like they're always one step ahead.

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