The Detroit Tigers have traded Andrew Chafin.

Chafin, a 34-year-old left-handed reliever, has been traded to the Texas Rangers. He learned of the trade almost immediately following Tuesday's game against the Cleveland Guardians at Comerica Park.

In return, the Tigers acquired right-hander Joseph Montalvo and right-handed reliever Chase Lee. Montalvo is ranked as the Rangers' No. 27 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, but Lee isn't ranked.

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Chafin has a 3.16 ERA with 16 walks and 50 strikeouts across 37 innings in 41 relief appearances in the 2024 season. He signed a one-year, $4.25 million contract last December with the Tigers, which included a $6.5 million club option for 2025.

The club option means the Rangers can keep Chafin for the 2025 season.

"I didn't think we had any urgency to move Chafin," Tigers president of baseball operations Harris said. "He's been one of our best relievers at this level, and we had an option to retain him for next year. The reason we moved him is because we're excited about the arms that we got."

Montalvo, 22, has a 2.44 ERA with 19 walks and 73 strikeouts across 59 innings in 13 starts with High-A Hickory; Lee, 25, has a 1.69 ERA with seven walks and 11 strikeouts across 10⅔ innings in eight relief appearances with Triple-A Round Rock.

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The centerpiece of the return for Chafin is Montalvo, a 20th-round pick in the 2021 draft who profiles as a fifth starter if he develops. He throws a 91 mph four-seam fastball, paired with a sweeping slider and a changeup. His slider is the best secondary pitch in his mix, responsible for whiffs, while his changeup is developing.

Most importantly, Montalvo has better than average command.

"Montalvo is a really interesting young arm who's already punching out a lot of guys," Harris said. "He has already flashed the shapes that we feel like we can help continue to develop in this organization. We think there's a lot of growth for him. We love the delivery, we love the athlete, we love the performance that he's had in his young career."

Lee, meanwhile, throws an 89 mph sinker from a sidearm delivery. He also features a sweeper. The sixth-round pick in the 2021 draft has pitched out of the bullpen at the Triple-A level in parts of the last three seasons, without making his MLB debut.

"He has an impeccable performance track record," Harris said. "He's one of those relievers that creates really tough angles on hitters. ... It's my job to give (manager A.J. Hinch) as many different options from as many different slots as possible, and Chase Lee gives us another opportunity to add a different look in our bullpen at some point in the future."

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The Rangers needed an upgrade in the bullpen, specifically a reliever who dominates against left-handed hitters. Chafin, a left-hander, specializes in left-on-left matchups, limiting left-handed hitters to a .180 batting average with a .474 OPS.

In 2024, Chafin has struggled to generate ground balls, but he still operates as one of the best strikeout artists, ranking in the 92nd percentile with a 30.9% strikeout rate, the 95th percentile with a 34.4% whiff rate and the 97th percentile with a 35.4% chase rate.

Chafin, an 11-year MLB veteran, has been the best pitcher in the Tigers' bullpen in 2024. It was his second stint with the Tigers, the first occurring in 2022.

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers trade reliever Andrew Chafin to Texas Rangers