The Rangers are acquiring catcher Carson Kelly from the Tigers to fortify their catching corps. In return, Texas will ship catching prospect Liam Hicks and right-handed pitching prospect Tyler Owens to Detroit. Both teams have announced the deal.
Kelly, 30, was signed by the Tigers back in August of last year after he was designated for assignment by the Diamondbacks earlier that month. A second-round pick by the Cardinals in 2012, Kelly was a consensus top-50 prospect in the sport when he was shipped to Arizona as part of the return for then-franchise face Paul Goldschmidt prior to the 2019 season. The first three years of Kelly’s tenure in Arizona went solidly enough, as he paired strong work behind the plate with a collective .239/.333/.435 slash line that was good for a league average wRC+ of 100. Kelly took a step back in 2022, however, and his 2023 season with the Diamondbacks was nothing short of abysmal as he hit just .226/.283/.298 in 32 games backing up Gabriel Moreno before being DFA’d.
While Kelly did not immediately show signs of improvement upon joining the Tigers for the stretch run last year, instead hitting a paltry .173/.271/.269 in 18 games, Detroit brass still saw fit to pick up a $3.5MM club option on his services for the 2024 campaign back in November. That decision has since proven to be a wise one, as Kelly has emerged as the club’s primary catcher this year. At the plate, he’s slashed a solid .242/.327/.393 (106 wRC+) with a 19.3% strikeout rate that would be his best in a full season. Meanwhile, he’s received excellent marks from Statcast for his work behind the plate this year including elite grades for his blocking and control of the running game in addition to above-average framing numbers. That strong all-around profile combined with the low financial cost of his remaining salary figured to make Kelly one of the more attractive catching options on the market this summer.
For the Rangers, the addition of Kelly should fortify a position that has been somewhat disappointing for the club this year. After an All-Star campaign in 2023, Jonah Heim has taken a step back offensively this year and is hitting just .234/.281/.346 (75 wRC+) in 90 games, while backup Andrew Knizner has been nothing short of disastrous offensively. In 37 games with the Rangers this year, Knizner has slashed just .167/.183/.211 with a wRC+ of 4, indicating he’s been 96% worse than the league average hitter this year. The addition of Kelly should provide the club with a substantial upgrade over Knizner in their catching tandem while simultaneously allowing the Rangers to lighten the workload of Heim as he works through his struggles and looks to recapture the form that made him one of the league’s most valuable backstops last year.
In order to add Kelly to their lineup, the Rangers are parting with a pair of prospects playing at the Double-A level this year. Owens is perhaps the more notable name of the two, as it’s the second time he’s been traded this year. The righty was acquired by the Rangers back in January as part of the deal that sent outfielder J.P. Martinez to Atlanta. The Braves’ 13th-round pick in the 2019 draft, Owens sports an upper-90’s fastball alongside a slider and a cutter but has typically struggled with command throughout his career. A strong 2024 may be helping to assuage some of those concerns, however, as the righty has pitched to a strong 2.80 ERA in 35 1/3 innings of work as a multi-inning reliever for the Rangers at the Double-A level. He’s struck out a respectable 24.5% of batters faced while walking just 6.5%, and it’s not hard to imagine the 23-year-old pitching in Triple-A for the Tigers before the season comes to an end.
Alongside Owens, the Tigers are also adding Hicks, a Double-A catcher who has shown considerable on-base ability at every level throughout his career. After tearing up the Arizona Fall League to the tune of a .449/.553/.522 slash line in 85 trips to the plate last autumn, Hicks has kicked off his age-25 season by posting a solid .364 on-base percentage in 80 games in a return to the Double-A level. A career .264/.380/.360 hitter in Double-A, Hicks’s lack of power production and lackluster grades from scouts behind the plate have tended to keep him on the fringes of most organizational top 30 lists, but it’s not hard to imagine him being useful catching depth for the big league club in the near future.
Kelly’s departure likely opens up a big league catching job for Dillon Dingler, the club’s #10 prospect according to Baseball America. Dingler receives strong grades for his work behind the plate and has flashed 20-homer power in the minor leagues but entered the 2024 season with serious questions about his contact abilities after striking out 30.7% of the time across parts of three seasons at the Double-A level. Dingler struggled badly in a brief promotion to Triple-A late last year but returned to the level in 2024 and has looked much better at the plate, posting an excellent .308/.379/.559 slash line with a 137 wRC+ and a 20.3% strikeout rate against a 10% walk rate. Dingler’s improved offensive numbers should be enough to earn him considerable playing time in the majors behind the plate as part of a tandem with Jake Rogers, who has struggled to a 68 wRC+ in 64 games this year but has posted excellent defensive numbers.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first broke the news of Kelly’s trade to the Rangers. Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reported the return of Hicks and Owens headed to Detroit.
Image Courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Biggest trade yet.
Jed Hoyer says hi.
Why does he do that? And how do you know he’s saying hi?
Big Hurt: Google is your friend. Search for the definition of “sarcasm.”
It’s a stupid phrase that belongs with “on my bingo card” and “I was today years old.” So yeah, I’m aware that he was trying to be funny, but it’s a stupid phrase.
In your opinion.
But opinions are like arseholes. Everybody has one.
“Opinions are like arseholes”, really? I’m starting to understand why you liked the stale, old phrases I mentioned.
Do you any original thoughts or do you just regurgitate canned phrases?
Don’t know. I wasn’t the person who posted that. You might ask rememberthecoop.
Do you have a sense of humor or do you just sit around all day with a stick up your butt and yell at kids to get off your lawn?
I have a nice lawn, and am happy to have people on it ;). Come on over and spew your brutal generalities, we can share a BBQ, beer, and an eyeroll. 😉
Jed should have made this trade
Too bad, I really liked Carson catching for Detroit, but Dingler is beating the door down to the majors.
Exactly. This trade was all about calling up Dingler. Any prospects received in return were just a bonus.
Uhm interesting but with all seriousness I think it’s time the cardinals make a move I’m bored
The cardinals are bracing for a fade down the stretch, they’re not buying for this year.
What are you bracing for football season?
@blackpink, im a lifelong pirates fan. We stay braced.
They really think Dillon Dingler is that good? I know he was either a late 1st round or a 2nd round pick…
He’s raking in AAA this year. Solid pedigree. Yeah, he’s at least a backup right now.
Thanks for the update. I remember when they drafted him. I liked the pick at the time. Not a Tigers fan, but I’m rooting for him.
As for his downside, he went to Ohio State.
There’s only one way to find out.
That good? Hes tearing it up in triple A and Kelly is only signed for 2 more months. It was time to get prospects back and give him a look.
Jonah heim just isn’t doing it this year
Jack leiter as the piece going back? Backup catchers aren’t worth that much in trades but leiter would benefit from a change in scenery
Actually nvm I think this comment is stupid mb
That’s a joke
I wish 😉
Not sure I understand this from a fit perspective. Is Heim getting the boot?
That seems doubtful. He drove in 95 runs in ’23, and still looks on target for above-average run production for a catcher. Kelly upgrades the backup and provides insurance for Heim.
Gotta be Tyler Owens
Rangers looked lost this weekend.
its_happening;
Thanks for the info.
Thought they might be bouncing back.
You’re welcome.
No more knizner yes
One former Cardinals’ catching prospect replaces another.
It’s Dingler time
Yeah I think thats what this move is about. The return for Kelly doesn’t mean a whole lot.
That’s good because its not much. A 25 yr old offensive catcher who is repeating AA, and a multi inning reliever with control problems in AA.
Sounds acceptable after dispatching a guy who finished last year hitting a robust .175 with Detroit.
Dingler repeated at AA himself.
Kelly really impressed me this year. Very solid all-around catcher and surprisingly competent hitter. His defensive abilities particularly surprised me. It really looks like he is on the verge of turning his career around and living up to his potential
I tbought he was solid too bit I’m glad they are shipping him out at the deadline. See what Dingler has and if he’s not going to be part of the future then circle back and resign him in the offseason.
Ngl I was expecting Nathan eovaldi to come to us but he starts tmr and that’s a freaking good pitcher we can use.
Kumar Rocker… come on!
Brock Porter is from Michigan… but he’s done terribly.
Let Fetter get ahold of Porter…and Leiter…and Rocker.
I saw him play in high school he threw 97-100 mph. Plus his coach threw him a lot in high school.
Tigers fans wish
It’s Scottie Harris… “unknown” return is probably what they actually got.
No way Rocker… probably someone not even on the top 30 prospect list for the Rangers. Some A ball guy that the stat heads see as a can’t miss. Yeremi Cabrera type
Hell yeah. Rocker would be fun on the Tigers!
Will it be a high A, or low A ?
The Tigers should get a real good, 24th round draft pick, and a bucket of used batting practice balls, if the past is any indication…..
I was hoping for grape Gatorade
YOU, should be GM !! 🙂
Good for Texas they needed another catcher and a good return for tigers fair deal
Two AA guys. I’ve heard of Owen’s but not the other guy. Anyone?
The good part is they’ve kept Skubal’s personal catcher.
Jake Rogers is a Tiger for life
Two guys that are a bit older and need rule 5 protection this winter. Hope they don’t lose them.
Good point.
Ezequiel Duran?
Oops, never mind
I hope this means that Texas is willing to trade Jonah Heim, cause boy. I’d sure love to have him back in Baltimore, even though he’s having a lousy season compared to last year.
Texas will send catcher Liam Hicks and right-hander Tyler Owens to Detroit in the deal.
Tyler Owens was 27th on the Braves top 30 prospects back in 2021. 25 in 2020.
Hicks was never on the top 30 for the Rangers
Owen’s might be a useful BP arm.
Whooped them again Joesy ! Outstanding haul for Kelly.
Tigers turned a flier from late in the ’23 season into two lottery tickets.
Can’t hate on that.
And the Rangers get a better backup catcher who could take considerable innings away from Heim. Good deal for both.
Two prospects for Kelly is a good return. Tigers don’t do this unless they feel. Dillion Dingler is ready for the show.
skubal to dodgers for a catcher?
Not even close.
Skubal is staying put
Yeah, if they manage too do something stupid and lose Skubal, I’m gonna be pissed!!
WOW ! They exceeded my expectations by a mile. Pretty impressive results by the Harris regime.
Excellent work by Scoot Harris. Tigers farm gets a boost.
No Izack Tiger in return? What are we even doing here???
Haha. I saw that name too on their list. Wouldn’t that have been awesome.e!
A little better than expected trade IMHO. Dingler may give a boost to the Tiger offense. Hicks or maybe Eliezer Alfonzo, who is doing OK at Erie, will be the new Toledo catcher.
Owens might be worth a looksee in Toledo too. Harris is doing fine in these trade deadline/2nd line trades. I like the kid they got from Philly for Lorenzen last year.
It remains to be seen if he can pull off something really meaningful, like Dombrowski used to do.
Yeah, I REALLY miss old Dave.
Dillon Dingler come on up ! Promoting young guys in the system has been the commitment by the Harris regime, great one.
Whatever happened to Sam Huff?
Just been DH his defense hasn’t been good
That’s too bad. I got to see him a couple times in Arlington back in 2021 or 2022. I think I even saw him hit a HR if I’m remembering correctly. He seemed like he was on a good trajectory back then. Oh well!
I’m a D-backs fan and I certainly hope for your sake that Kelly has figured something out recently. Dude completely forgot how to hit.
I really want to take a guy named Dingler seriously but it’s not easy. Though i can say it will be fun hearing broadcasters calling “Dinglers Dingers”.
Good pickup for Texas. Kelly has had a solid year for the Tigers and replaces another former Cardinal on the Rangers bench
It’s not like his name is Dirk Diggler.
I mean, it’s pretty close
This is waku waku, I wonder what they;ll get for Canha, and Urschella ? Madris gives them that left handed first baseman, but I still hope Carpenter learns to play it in the off season. These guys look really good they got from Texas. The crowds at the park have been huge this year, so they;ll be amped up over this one tomorrow.
I doubt Gio or Mark will go anywhere. Obviously, if Harris is willing to take a lowly minor leaguer anything could happen. I just don’t see either player being of much help to a contender. I think Ibanez might, however.
Canha’s been hitting again lately. Lots of rumors about him.
Canha absolutely should be gone for whatever they can. I feel the same towards Flaherty but on a lesser scale.
I’m all for shipping out Urshella and Ibanez. Just not expecting any feelers.
Those are the Tigers moves outside a blockbuster offer (Skubal) or a move for now and beyond.
There is talk about bullpen pieces like Chafin and Miller as well. Doubtful they move Ibanez.
Sounds like Harris did okay for Kelly and everybody but Rogers wants to see Dingler. I thought Dingler was too good an athlete to stay at catcher but he has and now is his time. BTW, Tork hit a grand slam and a 3 run shot for the Hens today. after an 0-5 3K day Saturday….sounds like he got ticked off and wants his job in Detroit back.
Dickerson was talking about him on the radio today, saying they want to see him change his approach at the plate and that they aren’t gonna bring him back until he does.
(i didn’t think he was ready when he made the team out of spring training last year.)
Did Dickerson say whether Tork was up to changing his approach? Someone should tell Tork the definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Dickerson’s comments were somewhere along the lines of sitting back, trying to mash, and that’s what isn’t working.
Impressive 2 HR 7 RBI game yesterday though.
Is there anybody on the Tigers coaching staff who’s hit 31 and driven in 94 runs? What’s been done to Tork by Hinch and his little band of gypsies is criminal….I hope they trade him so he can be himself again in a genuine organization instead of this clown show.
Tork is not hitting and the word is he doesn’t take instruction well from coaches and is stubborn about making changes. Nothing the coaches did. “Being himself” has worked out so well he’s in the minors and still not hitting. Last year, is last year.
Tork doesn’t listen to fools and neither do I. “Last year was last year”? LOL! Go ahead and preach the team excuse for this miserable hitting ballclub….who cares?
You sound exactly like Colavito. By “fools” you mean anyone who disagrees with you. I’ll leave you to talk to yourself dude.
Good idea, “dude”..
I’m assuming Colavito that you got kicked off for your comments and that’s why we haven’t heard from you. Looking forward to your entertaining insults directed at your fellow posters who disagree with you…and your new user name next time you get punted off.
Ty Madden was a bit of a train wreck again.
Good for the Texas lawmen.
Solid catcher.
A for Texas. Great catcher. Couldn’t have gotten him any cheaper. Got him for free.
D for Detroit. Toronto did much better. Detroit got a 1 tool catcher and a 1 pitch reliever. They got something. Always trade a rental. Maybe they see a way to develop a 2nd pitch. D for disappointing. Not that this trade was going to reload the system. They got something so it’s a very minor win.
Of course Toronto did better.
They traded away a better player with a better track record.
Toronto got 3 lottery tickets instead of the Tigers’ 2, and that is “much better?” I’m guessing neither got much from their deals which is the nature of these late-season trades of guys on expiring contracts.
Toronto only did fair but all 3 of their prospects are better. And 3. You trade a rental no matter what for whatever you can get but this isn’t a good return. Maybe they got too greedy with Boston. Maybe Boston preferred Jansen. Maybe they fell in love with one of these Rangers guys. Maybe no other team wants catching. Dunno. But not a strong return imo. D is passing grade but that’s about it.
I was thinking nearly the same, minus the Toronto comparison. A catcher who can’t catch and a reliever who can’t throw strikes doesn’t improve the organization. The trade frees up Texas’ coaching staff and shifts the burden to Detroit’s.
Much much better and this year I would much much rather have Kelly
I didn’t think Carson Kelly would be the first Tiger off the board.
I knew he had the highest value of position players likely to be traded. He’s a solid backstop and his offensive numbers are pretty good for a catcher.
BTW, why hasn’t Jeff Greenberg been mentioned in any trade stories? He is supposedly the GM but Harris is obviously making the personnel decisions. I guess somebody has to oversee the stadium operations, travel and lodging, minor leagues, etc. Still, it seems Harris surrounds himself with small nerdish types like Greenberg and Jason Benetti, probably the most annoying announcer in the history of the franchise. Benetti is like the 14 year old boy at the dinner table demanding to know what everybody else is talking about and trying to start feuds. Bizzarre….bring back Mario.
Benetti is an upgrade over Shep, for sure. And, I really thought I was going to like him a lot. But, I’m not in love with him. He’s a little off on his calls, in more ways than just one. For instances, he lacks cadence on his home run calls.
Petry plays along with him because he’s still in the fog about being the first string announcer. But Benetti better be careful taunting Gibby, who isn’t known for ignoring yapping little mutts.
I get annoyed with Benetti. Enough with the stupid puns and jokes! Someone needs to tell him he is the Javy Baez of jokes: He doesn’t need to swing at every pitch! Not every joke attempt is funny. In fact, most of his aren’t. Instead, he just leaves his color partner grasping for a comeback. Petry is so good-natured he plays along. Gibby seems to get irritated at him. Monroe – thank god he’s gone – didn’t understand most of Benetti’s jokes, and fake-laughed along with him, creating a very annoying broadcast.
Traded the wrong catcher.
Jake Rogers is the sole survivor of the blown Verlander team and won’t be traded as long as Justin is still pitching. Plus he will hit the ball in the seats on occasion with his Hinch golf swing, barely cracking the Mendoza Line. Let’s see if the genius manager throws Dingler off the end of the dock tonight or gives him 24 hours to look around and check things out. Hinch likes to show em how hard MLB is and keep them nervous about getting sent back down.
I see a pattern in the few deals and draft choices by Harris. Position players he’s added the past 1+ years… Malloy, Lee, Hicks, McGonigle, Max Anderson… there are questions as to what positions they will end up playing. They supposedly are good hitters but may need to change positions because they aren’t very good where they are now. Malloy has moved to DH… Lee is stocky for 2B… Hicks is an offense minded catcher, may be a DH… McGonigle may have to move to 2B because of his weak arm, Anderson is at 2B but he’s compared to Max Muncy and Ty France and “if he hits, they will find a position for him”. Last years first pick, Max Clark is great in CF, so he’s the lone exception. But everyone else may need to play a new position.
Just an observation.
This happens all the time, players switching positions. But this group seems to be a bunch of 2B/DH types.
Some will likely wash out though and others will be trade fodder for upgrades elsewhere. Like you say it’s great to have people who can hit but they still need a position to play. At least they drafted some SS’s this time to start filling that gap in the organization. Now they just need one to fill the gap Baez leaves in the lineup every night !
They moved Keith from 3rd to 2B and Jung from 2B to 3rd because of Keith’s supposedly “weak arm”….his arm looks pretty good to me. So there’s two guys playing out of position. McGonigle was playing 2B and SS for the Flying Tigers so there will be a collision in a year or two. Rainer is supposedly due to arrive at SS when Baez is finally gone, if he gets there at all. They have more OFers than they can play now that Vierling is finally back out there so, as always, they’ll need fresh pitching. Trading Flaherty is ridiculous IMO…what will that achieve….maybe a new Flaherty?
I don’t see Keith or Jung as 2B or 3B. They are bad defensively. Maybe one can play 1B and the other to the OF?
The rotation is very thin now and if they trade Flaherty the season will be done. Right now they have the 20th best record in baseball. There are 30 teams. If they trade Flaherty, they could easily drop to 26th. They could end up with a top 5 pick in the draft. It would destroy any kind of optimism fans had for this season and it will go in the books as another terrible season. I think they should try and get to .500 this year. That would give hope for 2025. Sure, Flaherty might bring in a really nice prospect or 2, but man, this has to end sometime, doesn’t it? Let the rebuild end now and make it a goal to be .500.
Spend some money in the winter and try and get to the playoffs in 2025.
Supposedly, Keith had to be moved due to shoulder surgery messing up his throws from 3B.
Jung won a minor league gold glove at 2B and has struggled at 3B from what I’ve read. If Tork keeps sucking, they can always move Keith to 1B and Jung back to 2B. But that’s assuming Jung will hit. Reports are he’s struggling catching up with heaters. If that continues, it won’t matter what position he’s better at.
That may not matter. McGonigle apparently has an outstanding hit tool and is likely headed for 2B, judging by his body type.
Most humans can only imagine trying to hit a 95+ fastball….a pitch that hisses when it’s entering the hitting zone. The thing is most MLB hitters and some in the high minors can hit that pitch if they know it’s coming. They are saying the same thing about Tork but I’ve seen him light up 100mph if it’s not riding and is belt-high. I’m not worried about Jung in the least and I agree McGonigle is a safe-bet to hit in The Show and the better hitter of the two between him and Clark.
The twitterverse is saying Flaherty is headed to the Yankees. Nothing done yet, but talks are serious.