Carson Kelly traded to Rangers

ST. LOUIS — As the Rangers hover over the buy or sell line before Tuesday’s Trade Deadline, the first domino fell for the organization on Sunday night, when Texas made a trade to acquire catcher Carson Kelly from the Tigers on Sunday. They will send a pair of Minor Leaguers to Detroit in the deal: catcher Liam Hicks and right-hander Tyler Owens.

The Tigers signed Kelly last August with the idea of helping him rework his game from behind the plate and with the bat after the Diamondbacks released him. It couldn’t have worked out much better for both sides. Kelly switched his catching stance to a one-knee setup late last season and became a better receiver, then tweaked his swing in the offseason.

The latter took some time to pay off, but Kelly became a middle-of-the-order run producer in Detroit’s lineup by midseason, while splitting time with Jake Rogers behind the plate. He became the primary catcher for old Cardinals teammate Jack Flaherty in his rebound season.

Additionally, Kelly has hit .240 with a .716 OPS this season, and could be an upgrade to the Rangers’ lineup whenever necessary.

The Rangers have 2023 All-Star and Gold Glove award winner Jonah Heim primarily behind the plate, but he’s struggled on both sides of the plate this season. He’s hit just .231 with a .620 OPS, while backup Andrew Knizner has been significantly worse offensively. Knizner has hit .167 in 37 games behind Heim this season.

The third catcher on the 40-man roster is Sam Huff, who was a Top 100 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, in 2020-21, and has had a few cups of coffee in the big leagues, but hasn’t had the opportunity to contribute consistently at the MLB level. He’s hit .258/.313/.455 in 78 games across four big leagues seasons for the Rangers since he was selected in the seventh round of the 2016 MLB Draft.

Texas has little depth in the catching ranks in the Minors, especially considering they are shipping off Hicks in the deal, but the club did select Malcolm Moore at No. 30 overall in this year’s Draft, assuring at least something in the coming years.

Kelly, who turned 30 years old on July 14, is making $3.5 million this season in his final year before free agency. He is the ideal veteran catcher to mix into a postseason contender alongside a more established backstop. His work with Detroit down the stretch last season showed an ability to learn a pitching staff quickly.