Detroit Tigers remade their pitching staff at the 2025 MLB trade deadline, acquiring seven pitchers: starters Chris Paddack, Charlie Morton and Randy Dobnak, and relievers Kyle Finnegan, Paul Sewald, Rafael Montero and Codi Heuer.
Dobnak and Heuer were optioned to Triple-A Toledo, and the injured Sewald was transferred to the 60-day injured list and won’t be back until September.
The Tigers also sent out two pitchers: Former first-round pick Matt Manning and ex-Central Michigan pitcher Dietrich Enns.
The additions are seen as underwhelming. None of the seven pitchers the Tigers traded for are having good seasons, though Finnegan, who was the Washington Nationals closer with 20 saves and a 4.38 ERA, is probably the best addition to help Tigers closer Will Vest fortify the back of the bullpen.
Here’s how MLB experts are reacting to the Tigers’ deadline moves, led by president of baseball operations Scott Harris.
Every Tigers trade at MLB trade deadline 2025
Click the player name links for a trade grade and analysis from Evan Petzold, our Tigers beat writer at the Detroit Free Press.
- Acquired starting pitcher Charlie Morton from Baltimore for pitching prospect Micah Ashman.
- Acquired reliever Paul Sewald from Cleveland for player to be named later or cash considerations.
- Acquired reliever Kyle Finnegan from Washington for pitching prospects Josh Randall and R.J. Sales.
- Acquired reliever Rafael Montero from Atlanta for infield prospect Jim Jarvis.
- Acquired starting pitchers Chris Paddack and Randy Dobnak from Minnesota for catching prospect Enrique Jimenez.
- Traded stater/reliever Matt Manning to Philadelphia for outfield prospect Josueth Quinonez.
- Acquired reliever Codi Heuer from Texas for cash considerations.
- Traded reliever Dietrich Enns to Baltimore for cash considerations.
Reactions from national baseball experts on the Tigers’ deadline haul:
David Schoenfield, ESPN: Tigers among 6 losers
“In a season in which the AL is so wide open, it was a disappointingly conservative approach to the trade deadline, especially because Detroit has one of the top farm systems in the majors. The Tigers didn’t have to trade Kevin McGonigle or Max Clark or Bryce Rainer to get better, but they should have at least added an impact reliever.”
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Mike Axisa, CBS Sports: Tigers bullpen a loser
“For a team leading its division and on the short list of World Series contenders, the Tigers had an underwhelming trade deadline. Their bullpen has been a liability the last few weeks. … Finnegan is a quality reliever. Otherwise Heuer is a depth arm, Montero was designated for assignment by the Astros last year, and Sewald is injured, and won’t be eligible to return until September. Picking up righty Charlie Morton (Orioles) as a rotation piece was a nice move. The bullpen though? It needed help and got more questions than answers.”
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Jake Mintz, Yahoo Sports!: Tigers deadline grade is ‘D’
Only the Boston Red Sox (F), Minnesota Twins (F), Atlanta Braves (F+) and Pittsburgh Pirates (F+) were given a worse grade by Mintz.
“Detroit could get bounced in the ALDS, and while fans would be frustrated, they wouldn’t be furious. There’s no urgency here, and it showed, for the worse, at the deadline.
“Competitive windows often open and close faster than teams think (see 2016 Cubs, Chicago). I wish Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris had been more aggressive. Reinforcing the bullpen with a cavalcade of relievers is solid if unspectacular, with nice moves to survive the grind of 162. But the Tigers didn’t do anything this week to up their World Series odds, which, given the talent on the roster, is a darn shame.”
Stephen J. Nesbitt, The Athletic
“(This) is not a winning deadline. It’s depth. Where are the bats? Where are the stud late-inning relievers? The issue is not that the Tigers lost the individual trades. It’s that they were so unwilling to overpay on elite relievers that they didn’t come close to landing any of them. Instead, they incrementally improved and didn’t raid their prospect stash. Feels great until it’s the ninth inning of a playoff game and you could have had Ryan Helsley or David Bednar trotting in from the bullpen.”
Jim Bowden, The Athletic: Tigers get a ‘B’
“The Tigers improved their pitching depth for the regular season, but I wonder if going for higher quality and less quantity would have been better.”
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers among big losers at MLB trade deadline, experts say