Detroit Tigers trade rumors: Club could make decision to sell by end of June
By Matt Snyder
The Detroit Tigers could enter sell mode by the end of June and trade veterans ahead of the trade deadline according to Jon Morosi.
The Detroit Tigers have been languishing in mediocrity for much of the season. I wrote earlier this week that .500 is the worst position the club could be in as they look to assess the future of the franchise. The worst case scenario for the 2017 Tigers would be missing the playoffs while also holding on to their valuable trade chips.
Jon Morosi of Fox Sports and MLB Network has sources saying the Tigers will opt to enter sell mode if they’re still under .500 when the month of June comes to a close. He posted this report on Twitter on Friday afternoon.
If #Tigers are still under .500 by end of June, sources say they'll revert to stance from November: All veterans will be available in trade.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) May 26, 2017
The biggest name of the bunch would be J.D. Martinez. The 29-year-old slugger will be a free agent at the end of the season and the Tigers don’t appear to have the funds available to make a serious bid at the prized outfielder. Martinez has already said that he’s not interested in negotiating during the season.
The venerable MLB insider Jon Heyman wondered if the Tigers would consider making Justin Verlander available in a trade earlier this week. Verlander presents an interesting trade case although his large contract and early season struggles could make him somewhat unappealing for other teams.
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Interestingly, Morosi reports that Justin Wilson drew more trade interest than any other Tiger during this past offseason. Wilson is due to hit free agency after next season, but the Tigers could cash in on his spectacular start and cash in now if they feel they’re out of the race.
Of note, Justin Wilson drew the most trade interest of any #Tigers player last winter. He's now closing with a 1.89 ERA, FA after '18. @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) May 26, 2017
Other potential trade chips include Ian Kinsler, Jose Iglesias, and Alex Avila. All three are due to hit free agency in the next two years. Iglesias and Avila are inexpensive and wouldn’t help payroll flexibility much, but the Tigers might opt to shop them hoping for younger talent in return.
Victor Martinez‘s (free agent after 2018) name will also probably be bandied about, but the aged designated hitter has been slow out of the gate and would only be useful to an American League squad with an open spot at DH. Even if the Tigers did manage to find a trade partner, they’d likely be asked to eat most (if not all) of his contract in order to get any sort of prospect of value in return.
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The Tigers enter Memorial Day weekend with a 22-24 record. They’ll need to finish May and June with an 18-15 record if they’re to avoid beginning July below the .500 mark.