July is upon us, and that means trades. The Detroit Tigers figure to once again be active at the trade deadline.
While Ron Gardenhire’s team wasn’t able to sustain their early-season success (relatively speaking) the team should look to cash in on a number of veteran trade chips this month.
Know Hitter broke down 200 MLB players, including 21 former and current Tigers, who could be traded in the coming weeks in a comprehensive trade guide.
Below a Lite Version of the trade guide for Tigers fans, featuring a few familiar names. You can get full access to the trade guide at the end of the post.
(It should be noted that all statistics are as of Friday, June 29 when the trade guide was published.)
Leonys Martin
The center field solution the Tigers have been looking for since Austin Jackson’s departure, Martin has been one of Detroit’s top performers where fWAR is concerned. Martin currently paces Tigers position players with a 2.2 fWAR.
He’s been invaluable both as a sparkplug at the top of the order and as an above-average defensive presence in center field.
Also a threat to run on the base paths, teams in need of outfield help could do much, much worse on the rental trade market. If Detroit can bring back a quality prospect or two, they should jump at the chance. Martin’s departure would sting in some regards, but it would also
open the door for home run and walk machine Christin Stewart to make his Major League debut, while allowing JaCoby Jones and his elite defensive ability to roam center field.
James McCann
McCann is controllable for two more seasons following the 2018 campaign.
That might make him a candidate to stick in Detroit, but the Tigers may find it smart to move the 28-year-old now if the offer is right.
With Jake Rogers catching fire in Double-A and John Hicks on hand as a more-than-suitable replacement, Detroit certainly isn’t short of options.
Rogers is definitely the future of the position in the Motor City, so trading McCann makes more than enough sense.
John Hicks can slide back to catcher alongside Grayson Greiner with Niko Goodrum seeing time at first base. Or, Detroit could keep Goodrum at second and Hicks at first while handing the lion’s share of catching duties to Greiner until Rogers is ready in the next year or two.
Catcher-needy teams in Boston (Dave Dombrowski does seem to like accumulating former Tigers), Washington, Milwaukee and Arizona could be fits for McCann, who has a cannon behind the plate.
Fans in Detroit have taken to McCann’s ability to throw out base runners so much that the “McCannon” moniker routinely makes the rounds on failed thieveries of second and third.
Yes, that’s really true.
Want access to the 19 other current and former Detroit Tigers—not to mention a comprehensive breakdown of 181 other MLB players who could feasibly be traded—on the list?
Get Know Hitter’s July 2018 Trade Guide!
