MILWAUKEE — Veteran outfielder Mark Canha is on the move again, with the Milwaukee Brewers trading him to the Detroit Tigers on Saturday rather than picking up his option for the 2024 season.
The Brewers acquired minor league pitcher Blake Holub in the deal.
Milwaukee was facing a Monday deadline on whether to pick up Canha’s $11.5 million team option for 2024 or pay a $2 million buyout. The Brewers instead dealt Canha to the Tigers, the second time he’s been traded this year.
Canha, who turns 35 on Feb. 15, helped the Brewers in their push for an NL Central title this year after they acquired him from the Mets at the trade deadline. The Mets received minor league pitcher Justin Jarvis in that deal and agreed to pay $3.26 million of Canha’s $3.5 million remaining salary for the year.
In 50 games with the Brewers, Canha batted .287 with a .373 on-base percentage, five homers and 33 RBIs. He produced one of the most memorable moments of the Brewers' season by hitting a tiebreaking grand slam with two outs in the eighth inning of a 9-5 victory over the Washington Nationals on Sept. 16.
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Canha had hit .245 with a .343 on-base percentage, six homers and 29 RBIs in 89 games for the Mets before the trade.
He has a career batting average of .250 with a .349 on-base percentage, 113 homers and 417 RBIs. Canha has played for the Oakland Athletics (2015-21), Mets (2022-23) and Brewers (2023).
Houb, a 25-year-old right-hander, went 6-4 with a 3.03 ERA and eight saves in 48 combined relief appearances with Single-A West Michigan and Double-A Erie this season.
Joey Votto's $20 million option for 2024 was declined on Saturday by the Cincinnati Reds, making the first baseman a free agent and possibly ending his career after 17 seasons.
BRIEFLY
REDS: Joey Votto’s $20 million option for 2024 was declined by the Reds, making the first baseman a free agent and possibly ending his career with Cincinnati after 17 seasons. Votto will get a $7 million buyout, completing a contract that guaranteed $251.5 million over 12 seasons. The 40-year-old Votto hit .202 with 14 homers and 38 RBIs in 65 games this season. A six-time All-Star and the 2010 NL MVP, Votto has a .294 average with 356 homers and 1,144 RBIs.
WHITE SOX: The Chicago White Sox declined their $14-million option for next season on two-time All-Star shortstop Tim Anderson and bought him out for $1 million. The bat-flipping face of the franchise, Anderson led the majors with a .335 batting average in 2019 and made All-Star teams in 2021 and 2022. But he was dogged by injuries the past two years, including a sprained left knee and right shoulder soreness in 2023. Anderson is set to hit the free-agent market following his worst season. He batted .245 with just one homer and 25 RBIs in 123 games.
CUBS: Chicago Cubs right-hander Marcus Stroman has opted out of the final year of contract, , giving up a $21 million salary for 2024. Stroman signed a $71 million, three-year contract in December 2021. He is 77-76 with a 3.65 ERA over nine seasons with Toronto, the New York Mets and Cubs. Stroman went from dominating the first three months this past season and making his second All-Star team to struggling through injuries the rest of the way. He finished with a 3.95 ERA in 25 starts and 27 appearances.
RED SOX: Justin Turner declined his $13.4 million player option with Boston, and the Red Sox turned down their $11 million option on right-hander Corey Kluber. Both players became free agents. Turner gets a $6.7 million buyout, completing a contract he agreed to in January that paid $16 million, including performance bonuses. The 38-year-old hit .276 with 23 homers and 96 RBIs in his one season with the Red Sox. Kluber, 37, was 3-6 with a 7.04 ERA in nine starts and six relief appearances under a $10 million, one-year deal.
ANGELS: The Los Angeles Angels declined a $9 million option on infielder Eduardo Escobar and a $7.5 million option on left-hander Aaron Loup, who both became free agents. Escobar gets a $500,000 buyout as part of a $20 million, two-year contract he agreed to with the New York Mets, who traded him to the Angels in June. Loup receives a $2 million buyout as part of a $17 million, two-year deal. Escobar hit .219 with two homers and 15 RBIs in 189 plate appearances with the Angels. Loup was 2-3 with a 6.10 ERA in 55 relief appearances.
RANGERS: Texas Rangers left-hander Andrew Heaney has exercised his $13 million player option to remain next season with the World Series champions. The team also exercised a $6 million club option for right-handed reliever Jose Leclerc. Heaney had a career high in wins by going 10-6 with a 4.15 ERA in 34 games in his first season for Texas. The 32-year-old won Game 4 of the World Series against Arizona when he allowed one run over five innings. Leclerc was 1-1 with four saves and a 3.29 ERA while appearing in 13 of the Rangers’ 17 postseason games.
