DETROIT, MICHIGAN – SEPTEMBER 14: Gregory Soto #65 of the Detroit Tigers plays against the Houston Astros at Comerica Park on September 14, 2022 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
The Philadelphia Phillies look like the winners in the latest MLB trade with the Detroit Tigers.
While the New York Mets are busy trying to finalize things with Carlos Correa, the Philadelphia Phillies are busy improving their bullpen further. The latest MLB trade will send Detroit Tigers All-Star closer to Philadelphia and Kody Clemens to Philadelphia for three players.
Phillies Get
RP, Gregory Soto
C, Kody Clemens
Tigers Get
Utility, Nick Maton
OF/1B, Matt Vierling
C/DH, Donny Sands
Philadelphia picks up the biggest piece in this deal, adding a controllable lefty and closer option for the 2023 season and beyond. The Tigers increase their depth and will see if one of the players they received can be more than a part-time player.
What grades do these two clubs receive from this MLB trade?
Phillies deserve a B+ for this trade with room for growth
Adding Soto to the bullpen is huge for the Phillies. He’ll fit in nicely with Seranthony Dominguez and Craig Kimbrel in the back of the bullpen. Clemens is more of a throw-in and someone to help make up for the lack of depth the Phillies will now have after this move.
Soto comes to the Phillies after two very good seasons with the Tigers working mostly as their closer. He can be wild at times. Every season of his career has included a rate of 5 walks per 9 or higher.
The Phillies get a B+ for this trade with room for growth. How they fill the gaps left on the bench from the loss of Matt Vierling and Nick Maton can make this deal seem much better.
Tigers deserve a D+ for this trade with not much room for growth
Meanwhile, the Tigers have lost a desirable reliever who has been an All-Star for two consecutive years and only acquire some minor bench pieces in the deal. Vierling and Maton are versatile players who would have had part-time roles in Philadelphia. Sands, a catcher, has only 3 big league at-bats and shouldn’t be thought of as anything more than a third catcher within the organization.
It’s hard to say anything too good about this trade for the Tigers. They could have easily gotten a legitimate prospect in return for Soto or at least someone with a higher ceiling. Two young utility men and a catcher for an All-Star closer doesn’t feel right. They get a D+ in the thickest red ink we can find.
This trade does indicate the Tigers will be fully open for business at making other moves to subtract. How much do they really have left and does anyone want to eat Javier Baez’s contract?
This trade was good for the Phillies. It’s a headscratcher for the Tigers.