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Detroit Tigers Receiving Trade Calls on Justin Wilson

By Matt Snyder

Jun 26, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Justin Wilson (38) pitches in the seventh inning against the Cleveland Indians at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 26, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Justin Wilson (38) pitches in the seventh inning against the Cleveland Indians at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Major league teams are calling the Detroit Tigers to gauge the trade availability of lefty reliever Justin Wilson, according to a report.

The Detroit Tigers are probably closer to being buyers than sellers at this year’s trade deadline. They enter play Thursday with a 49-46 record and a 3.5 game deficit in the Wild Card standings and they have an aging owner who would rather push his chips into the middle of the table than to stockpile them for the future.

But those facts haven’t stopped rival teams from calling to inquire about some their players. Baseball insider Jon Heyman is reporting that the Tigers are fielding lots of calls on left-handed setup man Justin Wilson.

"The Tigers are getting lots if hits on lefty reliever Justin Wilson (43 strikeouts, six walks), but he’s not very available at the moment"

Wilson was one of the players I called out as a possible trade deadline departure during the All-Star break.

Related Story: Five Tigers Who Could Be Traded

The idea seems odd considering his stout performance and team-friendly contract (he’s in his first year of arbitration eligibility with two additional years of team control remaining). Wilson has been one of the Tigers’ most reliable relievers, even if his 3.31 ERA doesn’t quite match his dominant peripherals (30.5% strikeout rate) and advance pitching metrics (1.68 FIP and 2.21 xFIP).

But even if the Tigers don’t want to sell, it could make sense to trade Wilson, either for another major league piece of for assets that could be flipped for major league talent. The Tigers’ farm system — which had been used well to fuel the recent string of division and playoff success — is notably thin which limits the Tigers’ buying options.

Dominant relievers are really good to have (think Kansas City Royals here), but even the best relievers can only provide two to three wins of value. Roughly the same as an average position player or starting pitcher.

It probably doesn’t make sense for the Tigers to deal Wilson this season unless a full-scale selloff is in the cards considering what they need is pitching, but a team desperate for relief help could conceivably overpay for his services.

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The Detroit Tigers should at least be open to considering those types of offers.

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