Detroit Tigers: Season would have been riddled with Matthew Boyd rumors
By Tyler Kotila
The Detroit Tigers had plenty of trade rumors around Matthew Boyd in 2019, and he stayed put, the 2020 season would have been more of the same.
It has been known that the Detroit Tigers are open to moving starting pitcher Matthew Boyd as last year when he started strong, the rumors were flying left and right. Though the 2020 season is on the shelf, the rumors would have been flying just as much as they were last season.
Looking at Boyd, the twenty-nine-year-old southpaw was on fire to start the 2019 season but fell apart in the second half, diminishing trade value. Boyd still has two more years of arbitration left after taking home $5.3 million for the 2020 season.
A 2023 free agent, two-years of team control for a mid-range to back-end starter depending on the team, is essentially how Boyd would be advertised. His raised performance would only make his value go up when it comes to a potential trade.
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In 2019, Boyd tossed 185.1 innings over 32 starts on the season for the dumpster fire Tigers. He would pitch to a 4.56 ERA, a 1.23 WHIP, as well as 238 punchouts over throughout his 185.1 innings of work.
If the Tigers were playing in 2020, even if the team were in the trenches of the American League (AL) Central, General Manager (GM) Al Avila would be shopping Boyd. Avila has made a few deals during his time here, where he has neglected to get a fantastic return.
Even if Boyd rumors were just a smokescreen, they would be plentiful as the team starts figuring out what the best offers for him would be as well as what other trade chips the team can move. Now, the last time the Tigers set up smoke screens of trade rumors, it was with Michael Fulmer.
Perhaps one of the most significant opportunities that Avila missed was the opportunity to move Fulmer for the likeness of Gleyber Torres from the New York Yankees or the Alex Bregman of the Houston Astros.
At the time, this may not have seen like a hugely missed opportunity, but looking back, it sucks to know the Tigers missed out on that talent when Fulmer has fallen off and battled arm issues. The hope with Boyd would be that he can be moved for some solid prospects.
Even if the rumors are false and the Tigers end up hanging onto Boyd, it would not be a bad thing since he has the making of an “ace” on this rebuilding Tigers staff. He may fall into the back of the rotation as the younger players get to the big leagues, but he still has value even if he’s not traded.
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The Detroit Tigers 2020 season is still full of question marks as it is, but Boyd’s future here in the Motor City is a question mark as it is.