Detroit Tigers need to be sellers at trade deadline

For the past four or five years it has been no question whether the Detroit Tigers were going to play the role of buyer or seller at the MLB trade deadline.

But this season the scenario has changed a bit; heading into the month of July the Tigers sit behind the Kansas City Royals and the Minnesota Twins in the AL Central standings. Furthermore, inconsistencies in the offense and the pitching has plagued Detroit all year, making the future appear bleak.

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The Tigers have to decide whether to buy or sell at the trade deadline.

If they were wise, they’d be sellers.

Acquire premium talent only if a title is in sight.

When addressing this situation it’s wise to be realistic. A team makes trades to better itself, to improve weaknesses and come within range of winning a championship.

In years past it was quite possible Detroit could have won a World Series, which is why players such as Doug Fister, Omar Infante, David Price, Delmon Young, and Anibal Sanchez were acquired.

This season Detroit is stuck in a puddle of mediocrity and winning the World Series, which is the overall goal of the club, seems completely out of question. With a rotation in shambles, an inconsistent offense, and an oft-putrid bullpen, a World Series just isn’t going to happen.

Do not make big trades to be eliminated in first round of the playoffs, or even worse, the one-game Wild Card.

Also take into account that there’s only five available playoff spots. Teams such as the Houston Astros, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Royals, and Twins are all going to be vying for those spots. While it is possible they could tail off and miss out on a taste of glory, those teams simply perform better on a consistent basis than Detroit.

By trading some of those guys the sting would be less in years to come.

But perhaps the biggest reason why the Tigers need to be sellers at the deadline is that they have numerous valuable trade chips. By trading some of them to acquire younger talent, the team will not be in such a rapid decline over the next few seasons.

For example, the Philadelphia Phillies were the premiere team in baseball just a short time ago. But because Philadelphia was not realistic with themselves and refused to trade big money talent for young players the team crashed and burst into flames in the blink of an eye. Now they are stuck paying millions upon millions of dollars to be in last place.

That could easily happen to Detroit if they refuse to acknowledge the warning signs.

Detroit has talent that is tradable. Players such as David Price, J.D. Martinez, Rajai Davis, Anthony Gose, and Alfredo Simon could bring in some decent players that could produce farther than the line than the current roster can.

A World Series isn’t going to happen, and it’s time to face reality and properly address the situation.

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