Detroit Tigers' Scott Harris thrilled with the addition of Mark Canha, believes veteran outfielder immediately makes team better
The Detroit Tigers signed Mark Canha as their first addition of the offseason as they look to bolster their offense. The Tigers traded reliever Blake Holub to the Milwaukee Brewers to get the deal done.
Mark Canha is a nine-year veteran who has split time between the Oakland Athletics and the New York Mets. The right-handed batter is a strong double-figure home run hitter consistently. Before the trade deadline, the Mets let him go to the Brewers, where he had a one-year player option on his contract.
Now the Detroit Tigers will have to respect the one-year $11.5 million club option. Canha was a potent force this year batting .262 with 25 doubles, 11 home runs, 62 RBIs, a .355 OBP and a 108 OPS+. His .364 on-base percentage and 120 OPS+ since 2018 are among the best in the game for batters over 30.
Tigers' president of baseball operations Scott Harris was very happy with the trade. He spoke to reporters on a conference call:
“Mark is an on-base machine. He goes up to the plate with a plan. He grinds out at-bats. He never gives in to pitchers. He makes a ton of contact. He’s been one of the biggest on-base threats in our game over the last four or five years. So I think he immediately makes us better.”
Tigers looking to fix their outfield with Mark Canha
Mark Canha will be a decent addition to the outfield options for the Detroit Tigers. Canha's right-handed throwing is expected to complement a left-handed dominated outfield including Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter, Parker Meadows and Akil Baddoo.
With his addition, they also avoided signing anyone long-term to a hefty contract while also ensuring a strong contact hitter for at least next season. We will see if this signing can help the Tigers push on next season.