The Tigers are calling up shortstop prospect Trey Sweeney, experiences Kiley McDaniel of ESPN on X. He only in the near past got here to the group from the Dodgers within the deadline commerce that despatched Jack Flaherty to Los Angeles. Sweeney shouldn’t be at the moment on the 40-man roster, so the Tigers might want to make a corresponding transfer so as to add him.
Sweeney, 24, was a first-round decide of the Yankees, getting chosen twentieth total in 2021. He made a short skilled debut after that draft choice after which obtained a lengthier run the next yr. In 2022, he obtained into 111 video games between Excessive-A and Double-A, hitting 16 dwelling runs in that point. He was struck out in 23.2% of his plate appearances however drew walks at a robust 13% clip. His .240/.349/.413 batting line translated to a 111 wRC+, indicating he was 11% higher than league common.
Going into 2023, Baseball America ranked him the #15 prospect within the Yankees’ system. Their report at the moment famous that he didn’t have a standout device however that he was usually strong throughout the board. On the 20-80 scouting scale, they gave him both a forty five or a 50 within the 5 classes of hit, energy, velocity, fielding and arm.
Sweeney would have been challenged to carve out a job as a daily shortstop within the Bronx with Anthony Volpe seemingly set at that spot, which is maybe why the Yankees have been keen to make him obtainable. Again in December, Sweeney was traded to the Dodgers for left-hander Victor González and minor league infielder Jorbit Vivas.
Shifting to the Dodgers didn’t go particularly effectively for Sweeney. He obtained into 96 Triple-A video games this yr, hitting 13 dwelling runs but in addition hanging out at a 26.8% clip. Within the hitter-friendly environs of the Pacific Coast League, his .254/.334/.427 batting line translated to an 87 wRC+.
As talked about, the Dodgers flipped Sweeney to the Tigers within the Flaherty deal, alongside Thayron Liranzo. Some evaluators thought of the return for Flaherty on the lighter facet, particularly in contrast with what the Blue Jays acquired from the Astros for Yusei Kikuchi. Flaherty and Kikuchi have been the highest two rental starters obtainable eventually month’s deadline however Flaherty was thought of the larger prize on account of his larger ceiling and stronger 2024 marketing campaign.
After the deadline, experiences emerged that the Yankees walked away from a Flaherty commerce as a consequence of considerations about his medical. Within the eyes of some, that defined the disconnect with these trades however Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris didn’t share that framing. “I utterly reject the premise,” Harris stated when requested concerning the Tigers getting much less for Flaherty than the Jays obtained for Kikuchi, per Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic on X. “These gamers we obtained are actually good. We had alternatives to make completely different offers with completely different groups. That is the deal we selected for a motive.”
Grading the trades is one thing that may be endlessly debated for now and received’t actually be settled for years. However since being traded a second time, Sweeney has been purple scorching. He has performed 11 video games at Triple-A Toledo because the deal and has hit .381/.447/.667. He received’t keep a .500 batting common on balls in play perpetually however he has hit a few dwelling runs, stolen 4 bases and drawn walks at a ten.6% clip.
The Tigers are 7.5 video games again of a playoff spot and targeted extra on the long run than 2024, which is why they traded Flaherty in addition to Andrew Chafin, Carson Kelly and Mark Canha. Shortstop has been an enormous gap for them in recent times due to the large struggles of Javier Báez. Going into 2022, the membership signed him to a six-year, $140MM deal however he has hit .221/.263/.346 since then for a wRC+ of 69. Amongst certified hitters in that stretch, solely Nicky Lopez and Myles Straw have a decrease wRC+.
With simply over six weeks left to go within the season, the Tigers will give Sweeney an opportunity to face main league pitching and see if he can possibly present them with an answer at shortstop. If he succeeds, it will make for an attention-grabbing offseason. The Báez deal nonetheless has three extra seasons on it after this one and he received’t have any commerce worth along with his poor efficiency on the plate.
Nonetheless, it’s price declaring that even the highest prospects usually wrestle of their first publicity to the foremost leagues, so there’s a good likelihood that received’t be a right away concern. It’s totally attainable that Sweeney will get a little bit of acclimation to main league life however should discover himself ticketed for extra Triple-A time sooner or later. Sweeney has additionally performed a little bit of third base whereas Báez has beforehand bounced across the diamond in his profession.
Time will inform how issues play out on the shortstop place in Detroit. However for now, it’s an thrilling second for Sweeney, who shall be making his main league debut as quickly as he will get right into a sport.
