The Detroit Tigers trade deadline has come and gone, and it was clear to Tigers fans. The moves made by the front office were ones that were marginal gains, addressing the bullpen with sacrificing prospects. Chris Brown’s take on it, may sum it up for those who see why Detroit did what they did:
“It’s not fun or sexy, but the smartest thing to do is keep your best prospects and try to make the playoffs as many times as possible. If you could guarantee a WS win then you make the moves. But unless you’re getting players with multiple years of control, you’re just kind of chasing pots.”
Updated 8/1/2025 to add the addition of the Tigers trading for RHP Charlie Morton, who was traded for LHP Micah Ashman. Ashman, was just promoted to Double-A Erie after being drafted in the 11th round in the 2024 draft. According to Scott Harris, Morton will go into the rotation and Troy Melton will be moved to the bullpen.
Who was acquired:
- RHP Kyle Finnegan from the Nationals in exchange for RHP Josh Randall and RHP R.J. Sales.
- RHP Rafael Montero from the Braves for infielder Jim Jarvis.Â
- RHP Paul Sewald from the Guardians for cash considerations. To make room for him on the roster, the Tigers designated for assignment Matt Manning as it appears his days in Detroit are over. Sewald was then moved to the 60-day IL when the Tigers acquired Finnegan.
- RHP Chris Paddack and RHP Randy Dobnak for catcher Enrique Jimenez.
- RHP Codi Heuer from Texas for cash considerations.
Here are the two newest arms that will see the bullpen this weekend as the Tigers head to Philly.
Kyle Finnegan:
- 40 games, 1 – 4 record, 4.38 ERA, 20 saves, 39 IP, 32 strikeouts, 1.28 WHIP, 19.6% K rate, 21.7% Whiff%. Throws a f0ur-seam fastball, splitter and slider.Â
Rafael Montero:
- 39 games, 0-1 record, 5.40 ERA,38.1IP, 39 strikeouts, 1.39 WHIP, 23.5 K rate, 28.9% Whiff%. Throws a splitter, four-seamer, slider and a sinker per Baseball Savant.
Look, Scott Harris addressed the Tigers’ biggest need, the bullpen. Could he have gone after a bigger, flashier name? Absolutely. That’s where the disappointment creeps in, not in the fact that he made moves, but in the lack of imagination behind them.
He didn’t trade any of the big three prospects, which is a win in itself. But fans were hoping for something with more impact, more ambition. At the same time, people need to remember: Harris doesn’t get credit for signing Gleyber Torres or bringing Jack Flaherty back. So when fans get confused or frustrated, it makes sense, even if it’s not entirely fair, if you look at the chatter on social media.
What really complicates things is the injury list. Jake Miller, Jaden Hamm, (currently rehabbing) Michael Massey, Owen Hall, Ethan Schiefelbein, and Paul Wilson are all sidelined. It’s hard to trade from your farm system when a chunk of your pitching depth isn’t even available.
Long term strategy (Opinion coming up)
That’s probably part of why Detroit went so heavy on arms in this year’s draft, because the current depth is surface-level at best. The big three aside, and the first year that Max Anderson is putting together a great season in Erie, is that enough to attract the attention of others? Not at this point, apparently, considering this is the first year he has been raking.
Do I think Harris is a bad GM? No. Has player acquisition been a weak spot? Yeah, it has. Development has gone well, but you can’t build sustained success on that alone, not without supplementing it with legit trades.
Considering where this team was a year ago, writing Harris off already feels reactionary. Do I think digging through the bargain bin works every time? No. But they made the postseason ahead of people’s expectations. They had a 2% chance or whatever it was in August and thanks to Minnesota, they heated up at the right time but shoot, it seems like large chunks of the damn fan base forgot that already.
Detroit may have a top-three farm system right now, but there’s still that lingering doubt, the stink, honestly that the track record of developing and keeping impact talent at the major league level is still small. Until the Tigers prove they can turn prospects into consistent contributors here, that skepticism isn’t going away. Is there a core in place, yes, but you need to put some more around it.
And look, we run a Tigers minor league site, we track this stuff every day. From the 10,000-foot view, it’s clear Detroit has taken real steps forward. They’re not building for just 2025, they’re trying to set up a long-term contender. But if that’s the goal, Harris is going to have to keep evolving, especially at the trade deadline.
The reality
If this team makes a deep run and falls short in the ALCS to someone like the Yankees, who once again used the Pirates as their personal farm system, well… fans are going to draw their own conclusions. Fair or not. I was shocked the Tigers did not add a right-handed bat, a screaming need that apparently, whatever the asking price was, was too steep.
To his credit, A.J. Hinch has done a lot with a roster full of guys punching above their weight. And seeing players like Dillon Dingler and Colt Keith take even a small step forward this year, that matters. It’s progress. But the next step means building on it, not just relying on it.
Chris Brown 
Jerry McKennan