Tigers Make Trade With Phillies After Fifth Straight Loss

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | Last updated Jul 26, 2025 2:09 PM ET

The Detroit Tigers have been one of the best teams in MLB all season. After losing to the Cleveland Guardians in the 2024 ALDS, Detroit returned with a vengeance, and currently owns a 7.5 game lead atop the American League Central division. However, that lead was once as big as 15.5 games.

Currently mired in a five-game losing streak, which is part of an overall 1-9 stretch in their last 10 games, the Tigers have been slipping. The once-buried Guardians are now just six games back of Detroit (with six head-to-head matchups remaining), making the division race a lot more interesting than it projected to be even a couple weeks ago.

As Detroit gears up for the MLB trade deadline, where the team will presumably be buyers given the wide-open American League pennant race, a minor transaction has taken place. It was reported by Bob Nightengale of USA Today on Saturday that the Tigers have dealt outfielder Brewer Hicklen to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for cash.

"The Phillies pick up some outfield depth by acquiring outfielder Brewer Hicklen from the Detroit Tigers for cash considerations," Nightengale wrote on X. "He has been optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley."

The Phillies pick up some outfield depth by acquiring outfielder Brewer Hicklen from the Detroit Tigers for cash considerations. He has been optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) July 26, 2025

This is certainly not a needle-moving trade for either team, as evidenced by Hicklen immediately being optioned to Triple-A, but it does keep the transaction log humming amid what should be a busy week for player movement.

Hicklen has just 10 games of experience at the MLB level since debuting for the Kansas City Royals in 2022. He has gone 2-for-12 in those opportunities, but does own a career .820 OPS in eight Minor League seasons.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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