The Red Sox went hunting for catching help at the trade deadline, and the search took them all the way to Detroit.
Boston ultimately landed two catchers from Baltimore - an injured Adley Rutschman and former Tigers backup Jake Rogers - but not before doing its homework on other options. According to Alex Speier of the Boston Globe, the Red Sox reached out to Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris about Dillon Dingler while casting a wide net for their next backstop.
That inquiry did not go very far. Speier also noted that Dingler was “viewed as off-limits,” which shut the door quickly on any real possibility of a deal. For Tigers fans, that was the reassuring part of the report.
The Red Sox were clearly aggressive in their search. Tyler Milliken posted a list of catchers and shortstops Boston at least “discussed” before the deadline, a group that included Zach Neto, Otto Lopez, C.J.
Abrams, Francisco Lindor, Hunter Goodman, Liam Hicks and Francisco Alvarez. Dingler, though, was in a different category altogether.
Boston wound up paying four prospects, plus a player to be named later or cash, for 1.5 years of Rutschman and half a year of Rogers. Even if Dingler had somehow been available, the price would have been enormous given his 4.5 years of team control.
And from Detroit’s side, the answer was never really in doubt. Dingler is an All-Star in his prime - maybe even an MVP candidate - and he’s not even required to make more than league minimum until 2028. Moving him would have run against everything Harris has built in Detroit, where the Tigers have made a habit of developing homegrown talent and holding onto it tightly.
Dingler’s value has only climbed because of what he brings on both sides of the ball. If he keeps producing at an MVP-caliber level, the Tigers won’t be entertaining trade calls anytime soon. He’d be under team control through 2031, when he would be 32.
Maybe Boston figured the Tigers might be willing to deal after moving Tarik Skubal earlier than they had to. That was a bad read. Dingler stayed put, and Detroit made sure of it.
In Other News...
Jake Rogers Post Tigers Fall Just Took Another Tough Turn
Jake Rogers post-Tigers path has already become one of the more jarring little detours of the summer, with the veteran catcher bouncing from Detroit to Baltimore and then on to Boston in the span of a few weeks. For a player who spent a good chunk of his time in the Tigers organization trying to carve out a role behind the plate, the carousel has been moving fast enough to make it hard to find any real footing.
Boston gave Rogers only a brief look before his situation turned again, leaving his next stop very much up in the air. For Detroit fans following former players as much as the current roster, it is another reminder of how quickly a fringe catchers world can change once he is no longer tethered to a steady role. [Read more 🡒]
Wenceel Prez Return Just Took A Troubling Turn For Tigers
The Tigers have spent the first part of the offseason patching together depth wherever they can find it, and the catching situation has been one of the more obvious pressure points. After parting with Toms Nido and with Carlos Prez dealing with injury, Detroit turned to veteran Seby Zavala on a minor league deal to help stabilize the organizational depth chart behind the plate. It is the kind of low-cost move clubs make when they need coverage now and flexibility later.
Wenceel Prez was supposed to be another encouraging piece of the larger picture after working his way back from a left orbital fracture, but his rehab assignment has now been interrupted by ongoing eyesight issues. For the Tigers, that makes an already cautious return feel even more complicated, because the hope was simply to get him back on the field and moving toward regular reps again. Instead, the latest update leaves his timeline murky and adds another layer of concern to a roster that has already been forced to adjust around a few health-related detours. [Read more 🡒]
Riley Greene's Early Exit Leaves Tigers Facing A Worrying Question
Riley Greenes night ended much earlier than the Tigers wanted in the series opener against the Cleveland Guardians, a reminder of how quickly a lineup can lose its shape in the middle of a game. The left fielder was pulled between the second and third innings after reporting discomfort, and Detroit immediately had to start thinking beyond one game and toward what this might mean for a club that leans on Greenes presence in the outfield and in the middle of the order.
A.J. Hinch said the plan is to give Greene an off day and keep monitoring the situation on a day-by-day basis, with another evaluation coming the next day. For now, the Tigers are waiting on the kind of injury update that can quietly reshape a series, and maybe even the next stretch of the season, depending on what the testing and treatment reveal. [Read more 🡒]