As free agency opens on Monday, the Tigers have announced a host of moves to set up their roster for the offseason. First and foremost, they’ve exercised their club options on catcher Carson Kelly and outfielder Mark Canha. Obviously the Tigers traded for Canha specifically to exercise said option, so no surprise there, but Kelly was less certain, despite a thin market for catching in free agency.
The Tigers clearly needed another catcher, as top prospect Dillon Dingler reached the Triple-A level in 2023 but clearly needs more work. Kelly provides a bridge to Dingler sometime in 2024 if he’s prepared.