Brennan Boesch has garnered trade interest from multiple teams. One source believes Boesch could be dealt during winter meetings. #Tigers

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 28, 2012

August 8, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers right fielder Brennan Boesch (26) at bat against the New York Yankees at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-US PRESSWIRE

With Torii Hunter now signed through Brennan Boesch’s first two arbitration years, Andy Dirks performing well enough to serve as the strong side of an outfield platoon, and Avisail Garcia and/or Nick Castellanos possibly pushing for playing time in the next year or two, he (Boesch) is likely destined for a bench role anyway. And now that he’s entering his arbitration years he’s going to become more expensive, and it’s quite possible that he’ll be more expensive than he’s worth this year. It’s easy to take the risk to dream on a player when he’s making league minimum, but it’s not quite as easy when his salary crosses the one and two million marks.

Boesch has had his ups and downs in his three years as a member of the Tigers, but he’s really been a below average player over all. Both FanGraphs and Baseball Reference agree that he’s been worth roughly a half a win per 600 plate appearances over his MLB career – production that would fetch $2.2-$2.5 million on the free agent market. MLB Trade Rumors projected his arbitration salary at $2.1 million for this upcoming season, so there likely won’t be much (if any) surplus value in his contract for the next three years (even as an arbitration player) – especially if he’s only a part-time player.

The 2013 Bill James Handbook projection for Boesch has a slash line of .266/.320/.430. Those numbers are very similar to his 2010 season – and are better than his career averages – but, even with this bounce-back batting line that would put him near MLB average, his poor fielding ability probably wouldn’t allow him to be much more than a 0.5 WAR player (and again, that’s only if he plays a full-ish season).

If the Tigers could flip Boesch for something – anything – they’re likely better off than they would be by holding onto him. His trade value certainly isn’t at its peak – that would have been prior to last season – but, at 27 years of age, it’s not going to be any higher than it is right now. A trade of Boesch isn’t going to net “prospects”, but it might net a player or two while saving a million or two. The money and the players wouldn’t make or break the organization either way, but I don’t see any reason why he needs to be on the team, so moving him for anything positive while the possibility exists seems smart.

“My instinct,” Dombrowski continued, “is that we would add somebody that could hit from the right-hand side that, if [Nick Castellanos and Avisail Garcia] don’t make it, could go out there and play with Dirks. But we’ll wait and see.”

September 27, 2011; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers right fielder Magglio Ordonez (30) hits a two RBI single during the first inning against the Cleveland Indians at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-US PRESSWIRE

In all likelihood this means a guy that has made a career out of being a platoon bat – someone like Jeff Baker was supposed to be – or an aging veteran role player that could still be a plus bat versus left-handers. In either case the Tigers are probably only looking to spend something like $2 or $3 million for a guy that would be making 40-50 starts and providing something in the neighborhood of a half to one WAR in total value.

But the Tigers could go a third route and see if a former superstar and fan favorite still had the fire burning in his belly. Magglio Ordonez officially announced his retirement in late May last season when he realized the major league contract offer that he was waiting for simply wasn’t coming. He wanted to play and he kept himself in shape to play, but he apparently received only minor league offers.

Magglio battled injury and general ineffectiveness in 2011 and finished the season with a disappointing .634 OPS, but he still managed a .292/.331/.385 slash line against southpaws. His power was non-existent, and the .716 OPS isn’t going to win any awards among outfielders, but that line isn’t going to kill the team at all. Heck, the organization gave Delmon Young and his .707 OPS over 600 plate appearances at designated hitter (and in the five-slot, no less).

And that was Ordonez at his worst. We could say that the decline was expected for his age (and we wouldn’t be wrong) – he was 37 in 2011 and would be 39 in 2013 – but the two years before when his home run power fell off initially he was still smashing lefties (a .937 OPS in 2009 and a 1.171 OPS in 2010). What if the time off and occasional use would allow him to return even somewhat to that type of platoon hitter?

The risks, of course, are big: he’s old, he hasn’t played in over a year, and his medical file is thick. The questions are equally big: does he even want to play ball right now, would he accept a platoon role, and would he require a guaranteed contract to come to spring training? The nostalgia here is probably getting in the way of rational thought, but I think it would be great if the Tigers gave him a call and worked something out.

There are almost certainly too many issues and roadblocks for something to materialize here – and I’ll admit to this being more than 99.9% fantasy – but allow me a few moments to dream about long flowing locks and opposite-field singles.

Sep 28, 2012; Arlington, TX, USA; Los Angeles Angels right fielder Torii Hunter (48) bats during the game against the Texas Rangers at Rangers Ballpark. The Angels beat the Rangers 7-4. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-US PRESSWIRE

General manager Dave Dombrowski hinted that signing an everyday corner outfielder would be the top priority for the club this off-season. The Detroit Tigers may be close to landing their guy.

Torii Hunter is reportedly looking to sign somewhere “soon,” and the Tigers appear to be the most interested party. From Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles:

Torii Hunter told MLB Network on Monday morning that he’s going to wrap up a decision about where to sign quickly, and a source indicated that the timeframe is about two weeks.

The most aggressive pursuer thus far has been the Detroit Tigers, the team most likely to offer Hunter a two-year deal, a shot at his first World Series and an every-day job.

Some positive tidbits here: it sounds like Hunter is more likely to be chasing rings than money. He likely wants the extra security of a two-year deal, but that type of contract isn’t going to break the bank for the Tigers. I had thought that someone would perhaps offer him a three year deal, but it sounds like that may not be the case, and even if he got that offer he might he might turn it down if it didn’t come from a contending team.

CBS Sports’ Scott Miller agrees with this sentiment and also picks the Tigers as a great match:

when you scan the landscape for potential fits, it’s hard to find one more compatible than Detroit…

The guy wants to win a ring, desperately, and right now this is as much about positioning himself to win one as it is anything else.

And these two aren’t the only one’s spreading the rumor that the Tigers are the lead team either. ESPN’s Jim Bowden is hearing the same thing from his “sources”.

Detroit Tigers front runners for Torii Hunter according to source

— JIM BOWDEN (@JimBowdenESPNxm) November 12, 2012

But things aren’t necessarily lining up perfectly for the Tigers. Danny Knobler of CBS Sports also labels Detroit as the “frontrunner” to land Hunter, but notes that the Texas Rangers – who also seem like a good fit – are in hot pursuit as well.

Or Hunter could go to the Rangers, where he could help make up for the expected departure of Josh Hamilton. The Rangers could also be a perfect fit for Hunter, an Arkansas native who makes his home in Prosper, Texas, not far from Rangers Ballpark.

Either way it sounds like we’ll know in the next couple of weeks. As a quality all-around player, Hunter is the near-ideal candidate to fill the Tigers’ outfield need – with the caveat that his deal pays him as a 2-3 WAR player not a 5-6 WAR player – but there are others that could provide somewhat similar value as well so missing out here wouldn’t be the end of the world.

(h/t: MLB Trade Rumors)