Detroit Tigers: 5 Players Who Should Be Trade Targets
This is not exactly where the Tigers wanted to be this close to the All Star break.
Sure, they are within spitting distance of first place and they have arguably the best pitcher and the best hitter in all of baseball.
But this is a weak division that is aching to be taken over, and the Tigers are the most talented team in the mix. There is no excuse for them to not be in a commanding lead of first place.
Sure, the pitching has been inconsistent when it comes to everyone not carrying the initials J.V. (Jose Valverde has also been a rock this year). But the real problem with this team is the major holes in the lineup.
Jhonny Peralta and Alex Avila have been a revelation, and Brennan Boesch has produced like we hoped he would. Victor Martinez has been all we hoped he would be, and Miguel Cabrera is, well, Miguel Cabrera.
But the Tigers have been sabotaged by a number of their hitters. Brandon Inge, Ryan Raburn and Magglio Ordonez have been flat out killing this team. They have effectively been inning killers all year, and it is time to start looking at ways to ease each of them out the door.
The bottom line is that this is a year in which the Tigers need to make the playoffs, and so they must take some chances.
Here are five players that could conceivably be available and would make this team a substantially better one.
Matt Kemp
1 of 5
Matt Kemp may be somewhat unknown to some Tigers fans, and in a lot of ways he is an underrated player.
I know, it seems impossible to be underrated and play in Los Angeles.
But think about this: Kemp right now has drastically better numbers than Miguel Cabrera. He has 20 home runs, 56 runs batted in, and is sporting a .332 average.
He also can run (15 steals) and plays a mean center field.
Okay, so we already have a pretty impressive center fielder, but we don't have very impressive corner outfielders. Boesch has potential, but defensively he is still a liability.
So why would the Dodgers deal Kemp? Because they are broke and struggling to make payroll. In fact, they needed loans from their advertisers just to make last month's payroll, and they have a limited amount of time to come up with $8 million that they owe the since retired Manny Ramirez.
Kemp also is in line for an eventual big pay day. Right now he is earning $7 million, but he will want a whole lot more for next year.
The Tigers could potentially get Kemp for one or two of their stud minor league pitchers plus a bat or two at this level.
Kemp could immediately help out the Tigers. Detroit could still bat Jackson first, but Boesch could move up to two, and Kemp would step in at number three.
He also could play left field and shore up the revolving door at the corner spot.
This may seem like a long shot, but the Dodgers need to trim salaries, and they likely will have to choose between Kemp and Andre Ethier and Ethier should be cheaper.
David Wright
2 of 5
Just like the Dodgers, the Mets need to start trimming their payroll. They have some behemoth contracts on their books, such as Johan Santana and Carlos Beltran, and they still need to try to re-sign Jose Reyes.
In order to move forward, they need to find a way to get younger and sleeker. And while David Wright is a major fan favorite and arguably the face of the franchise, he is a logical choice to move.
His salary is big ($14 million this year, $15 million next year), but not unmoveable, especially for a team like Detroit that can pay a couple bucks for a good investment.
The real question is whether or not Wright is worth the asking price, which should be substantial.
Right now he is have a down year, hitting only .220 with only six homers. But he is a career .300 hitter, has topped 26 homers and 100 rbi's five times and is only 28.
Plus, he plays a position, third base, that has been an albatross around the neck of this lineup.
Wright could come in immediately and either hit third, moving Boesch up to second, or he could get plugged in at six behind Victor Martinez.
This would also allow Detroit to either use Brandon Inge as a super sub, or return him to a backup catcher role (both of which he would hate, but let's face it, the guy can't hit anymore).
Aramis Ramirez
3 of 5
Sorry Cubs fans, but your team is a mess right now. They continue to lose, they have tons of money tied up with contracts to guys like Alfonso Soriano, and their free agent moves have been disastrous (Carlos Pena, really?).
One of the few bright spots in a lineup for the better part of the last decade has been Aramis Ramirez. But even he has struggled this year.
The Cubs need a youth movement, and they need to shake up their roster a little bit.
Dealing Ramirez will help with both, as he is sure to fetch a pretty penny.
For Detroit, Ramirez, like Wright, would fill a big hole in the lineup at a position of need. He is a very good power hitter, and he only has a $2 million buyout for next year in case it doesn't work out.
Now I wouldn't give up Jacob Turner for him, but a package including Andy Oliver might be enough.
Mark Reynolds
4 of 5
Offensively, Mark Reynolds does two things with great regularity-hit home runs and strike out. In that sense, he could remind you a lot of former Tiger Rob Deer.
The former the Tigers need, the latter they already have.
Reynolds is also a plus defensive third baseman and while his batting average is as anaemic as Brandon Inge's, he has 12 homers and is likely to hit around 30. Two years ago he hit 44 and last year he had 32.
Right now, he is still figuring out American League pitching, but his contract is affordable and given his batting average, the Orioles won't require the farm for him.
Reynolds should be a back up plan should Detroit strike out on the other two higher profile third basemen.
Hunter Pence
5 of 5
The Houston Astros have a number of talented players that I personally would love to have in Detroit. Jason Bourgeois is tearing the cover off the ball, and can play a bunch of different positions and is as fast as anyone on Detroit's roster. However, he still has a ways to go before the Astros have to pay him big money, so he is probably untouchable.
Michael Bourn is another speedster, and he is in line to get a major raise next year. However, he is the classic National League type of player, and it would be tough to imagine where he would fit in Detroit's defense.
The real prize in Houston is Hunter Pence.
Sure, he is a fan favorite and is essentially the face of their franchise, but he is slated to make a big pay day next year, and right now is really helping his cause with a .325 average and 50 RBI. In Comerica Park, Pence would be a doubles machine.
Defensively, he would shore up right field. This would allow the Tigers to have the rest of this season to decide on whether or not they want to keep him. Chances are, the fans wouldn't let Mr. Illitch part with Pence.
As far as compensation goes, the Tigers might be able to put together a package including Oliver, and maybe even Raburn as he looks like a better National League player than American League.
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