Tigers trade former top prospect to Rays for cash considerations

Matt Sullivan

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Tigers trade former top prospect to Rays for cash considerations image

The Detroit Tigers have plenty of eyes on them this offseason, with teams hoping they decide to trade away Tarik Skubal.

Such a move isn't likely to happen, but there are still plenty of other moves that the Tigers are likely to make this winter.

According to Tigers PR on Twitter/x, the most recent roster move happened with a trade, though it's with a former top prospect being sent to the Tampa Bay Rays for cash considerations.

Tigers announce trade of ex-top prospect to Rays for Cash

"OF Justyn-Hnry Malloy has been traded to the Tampa Bay Rays for a cash consideration," the Tigers announced Tuesday morning.

Malloy is a 25-year-old outfielder/infielder who's made his Major League debut already during the 2024 MLB season.

He hit.203 with a.657 OPS in 71 games for the Tigers, getting 41 hits, eight home runs, and seven doubles to go with 21 RBIs in his debut season.

This past season, Malloy played in 52 games, and he hit.221, a step up from his 2024 total, but his OPS dropped a tad to.654 after a.408 slugging percentage compared to a.366 slugging percentage in 2024.

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In his minor league career with the Tigers, he hit.322 with a.955 OPS in 2025 in 72 games, and in the five seasons he's spent in the organization, he's hit.286 with an.883 OPS across three levels in the minor leagues, with the majority coming in Triple-A.

Trading Malloy is an interesting move, since the Rays are only giving up cash, and the Tigers are clearing a roster spot with this trade.

He wasn't the best Major Leaguer, but moving on from the 25-year-old so soon is a move that could come back to bite the Tigers in the near future.

For now, the Tigers have cleared a 40-man roster spot and received some cash by trading Malloy to an AL East team, the Rays, this winter.

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