TIGERS ACQUIRE INF/OF MATT VIERLING, INF/OF NICK MATON AND
C DONNY SANDS FROM PHILADELPHIA IN EXCHANGE FOR
INF/OF KODY CLEMENS AND LHP GREGORY SOTO
DETROIT – The Detroit Tigers announced that they have acquired infielder/outfielder Matt Vierling, infielder/outfielder Nick Maton and catcher Donny Sands from the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for infielder/outfielder Kody Clemens and lefthanded pitcher Gregory Soto.
Vierling, 26, spent most of the 2022 season with the Phillies, hitting .246/.297/.351 with 12 doubles, two triples, six home runs and 32 RBI. He performed especially well against lefthanded pitching, batting .295/.333/.426 with eight doubles, a triple, two home runs and 13 RBI vs. southpaws. Vierling saw time in 12 games during Philadelphia’s postseason run, going 2×13 with a double and a RBI. He also played in 21 games with Triple A Lehigh Valley, batting .271/.347/.459 with six doubles, two triples, two home runs and nine RBI.
Vierling, who was ranked as the Phillies No. 8 prospect by Baseball America entering 2022, saw his first Major League action in 2021, hitting .324/.364/.479 with three doubles, a triple, two home runs an six RBI in 34 games with Philadelphia. He also played in 79 games between Double A Reading and Lehigh Valley, combining to hit .276/.358/.444 with 12 doubles, two triples, 11 home runs and 47 RBI. Vierling was named a Phillies Organizational All-Star in 2021 and was a Florida State League All-Star in 2019.
A native of St. Louis, MO, Vierling was selected by the Phillies in the fifth round of the 2018 MLB Draft.
Maton, 25, played in 35 games with the Phillies in 2022, hitting .250/.341/.514 with two doubles, a triple, five home runs and 17 RBI. Maton also played in one game during the World Series against the Astros. He appeared in 57 games with Lehigh Valley, slashing .261/.368/.436 with 20 doubles, one triple, five home runs and 35 RBI.
Maton, who was ranked as the No. 10 prospect in the Phillies organization by Baseball America entering 2021, saw his first big league action that season, playing in 52 games and batting .256/.323/.385 with seven doubles, one triple, two home runs and 14 RBI. In 410 career games at the Minor League level, Maton has hit .251/.344/.382 with 84 doubles, 12 triples, 27 home runs and 181 RBI. Maton was named a Phillies Organizational All-Star by MiLB.com in 2018 and 2019, was a South Atlantic League All-Star in 2018 and a Florida State League All-Star in 2019.
A native of Chatham, IL, Maton was drafted by the Phillies in the seventh round of the 2017 MLB Draft.
Sands, 26, played in 57 games with Lehigh Valley in 2022, slashing .308/.413/.428 with nine doubles, five home runs and 34 RBI. He also made his Major League debut last season, appearing in three games with the Phillies and going 0x3 with a walk. Following the season, Sands was named a Phillies Organizational All-Star by MiLB.com.
Ranked as the No. 21 prospect in the Phillies organization by MLB Pipeline, Sands has hit .274/.343/.390 with 79 doubles, one triple, 32 home runs and 219 RBI in 428 career Minor League games. Sands was selected as a Yankees Organizational All-Star by MiLB.com and a South-Atlantic League All-Star in 2017, while he was named a FCL All-Star in 2015.
A native of Tucson, AZ, Sands was originally drafted by the New York Yankees in the eighth round of the 2015 MLB Draft. He was acquired by the Phillies in November, 2021.
Clemens, 26, split the 2022 season between Detroit and Triple A Toledo. In 57 games with the Tigers, he hit .145/.197/.308 with four doubles, five home runs and 17 RBI. Clemens played in 60 games with the Mud Hens, batting .274/.327/.535 with 12 doubles, six triples, 13 home runs and 43 RBI.
Soto, 27, appeared in 64 games with the Tigers last season, recording 30 saves and posting a 2-11 record with a 3.28 ERA (60.1IP/22ER) and 60 strikeouts. Soto was selected an American League All-Star in 2021 and 2022.
–TIGERS–
