Detroit Tigers: 4 Moves That Will Help Team Now and Later

Move Some Big Contracts

The Detroit Tigers have a number of significant contracts on the books, and should look to move a few of them in order free up some spending money.

Miguel Cabrera, Justin Verlander and Ian Kinsler aren’t going anywhere, but Anibal Sanchez and Mark Lowe’s contracts should go.

Even if the Tigers have to eat a significant portion of Sanchez’ contract, it could be worth it just to save money. Sadly, this is how far things have gone for a pitcher who finished fourth in Cy Young voting in 2013.

Per Spotrac, Sanchez is owed $16.8 million next season. He has a $16 million option for 2018, but the team can buy him out for $5 million. If Detroit ends up buying the pitcher out, the team will pay $21.8 million for a pitcher with a 6.75 ERA and a 5.62 FIP.

Finding a taker for that contract won’t be easy—it might be impossible—but if the Tigers eat the majority of the remaining money, they could find a taker.

The reality is that saving a few million on Sanchez might be the best option at this point instead of continually trotting him out there in hope that he’ll regain something akin to his 2013/2014 form.

Detroit would be better off handing his starts to someone like Daniel Norris or taking fliers on pitchers hitting the waiver wire. Who knows, the team may even find a contributor that way.

The same logic applies with Lowe in the sense that Detroit may be better off using a 25-man roster spot on a reliever that can be used in high-leverage situations, or at least close games. Lowe has pitched almost exclusively in blowouts since the beginning of June. Since then, opponents are hitting .418 with a 1.195 OPS against the former Mariner.

If Detroit can find a taker for some of his contract, it would be a win-win. Not only would the team save some money, but Lowe’s roster spot could go to a young reliever like Joe Jimenez or Buck Farmer who could be a bullpen mainstay for years.

While the money saved on Sanchez and Lowe wouldn’t make a huge impact in the grand scheme of things, it would allow the flexibility to sign an extra reliever or a bench cog in the offseason.

Detroit has long had a top-heavy roster in terms of salaries. This has meant that the bullpen and bench have suffered as the team doesn’t have the funds to invest. Dealing two struggling pitchers could allow the Tigers to bring in a contributing player.

Trade Matt Boyd, Jairo Labourt and Arvicent Perez to Tampa Bay for Jake Odorizzi

On the surface, this may seem like a typical Dave-Dombrowski deal, trading prospects for a big league contributor. However, this potential deal isn’t mortgaging the future whatsoever. In fact, it may improve Detroit’s long-term outlook.

Boyd has shown flashes this season, but is far from a finished product. At 26, Odorizzi is only a year older and much more of an established pitcher. What’s more, the Tampa Bay starter has a higher ceiling thanks to his ability to strike batters out at a high rate.

To top it all off, Odorizzi isn’t arbitration eligible until 2017. He won’t hit free agency until 2020.

With a 23-29 record, the former Royal seems like the kind of pitcher who could pile up the wins with an improved offense backing him. This happened to the likes of Doug Fister and Sanchez when they arrived in Detroit, and it could happen with Odorizzi.

In terms of the other prospects, Labourt is the wild card of the bunch. The pitcher has the potential to be a solid big-league starter, but he may end up in a bullpen. Either way, that’s a small price to pay for a proven and controllable starting pitcher like Odorizzi.

Rounding out the deal is Perez, who is hitting .294 at Single-A Western Michigan. Detroit has plenty of depth behind the plate now and for the future. James McCann will ideally be the starter for the next decade, while Jarrod Saltalamacchia brings some pop to the bench. Minor league players like John Hicks, Kade Scivicque and Grayson Greiner give the Tigers more options down the road.

For Tampa, Perez provides the team with another future option behind the plate as current backstops Curt Casali and Hank Conger are both hitting under .200 this season.

Trade Austin Kubitza, Kade Scivicque, Tyler Collins and Mark Lowe to Oakland for Jesse Hahn and Coco Crisp

At 38-51, the Oakland Athletics are going nowhere fast. The team enters the All-Star break 15.5 games out of first place, and have a number of trade chips to potentially deal at the deadline.

Outfielder Josh Reddick and Rich Hill are the most obvious candidates, but Detroit should go after Jesse Hahn and Coco Crisp’s contract.

Hahn is currently at Triple-A, as Hill, Sonny Gray, Kendall Graveman, Sean Manea and Daniel Mengden comprise the big league rotation. Even if Hill is dealt, the A’s have a quartet of starters on the disabled list in Chris Bassitt, Jarrod Parker, Felix Doubront and Henderson Alvarez who could fill rotation spots in the future. In other words, Hahn could be expendable.

In seven starts this year with Oakland, the former Padre has pitched to a 6.49 ERA in 34.2 innings pitched. While that isn’t anything to write home about, the pitcher has been victimized by an extremely high .336 BABIP. Hahn also has proven in Triple-A, and in past seasons that he can pitch effectively.

In 10 starts for Nashville, the Athletics’ Triple-A affiliate, Hahn has posted a 3.60 ERA. From 2014 to 2015 with the Padres and A’s, the 26-year-old accumulated a 3.23 ERA, a 3.46 FIP and a 2.1 WAR in 170 innings pitched. What’s more, given his service time, Hahn won’t be arbitration eligible until 2018, and won’t hit free agency until 2021.

In addition to picking up a potential rotation mainstay in Hahn, the Tigers would also have to take on Coco Crisp’s contract. The outfielder’s deal potentially expires after the season, but he does have a vesting option. Per MLBTradeRumors.com, the outfielder has a $13 million option that “vests at 550 plate appearances or 130 games played in 2016.”

So far, Crisp has logged 275 at-bats and played in 73 games.

By taking the veteran back in the deal, Detroit would allow the Athletics to play out their season without worrying about the impending vesting option—which may prove too rich for Oakland’s blood. Additionally, the Tigers would give the A’s a cheaper outfield option in Collins to try out for the future. The current Mud Hen seems to be turning things around, with three home runs and 11 RBI in his last seven Triple-A games.

Crisp is only hitting .244 this season, but the veteran outfielder could provide a boost to the Tigers down the stretch. The outfielder is hitting .268 away from Oakland, and has been exceptional with runners in scoring positon. In 56 plate-appearances with runners in scoring position, Crisp is hitting .400 with 29 RBI.

With some combination of Justin Upton, Cameron Maybin, J.D. Martinez and Steven Moya manning the outfield, Crisp won’t be counted on to start too much. Instead, he can provide value off the bench, and the Tigers can watch his contract expire in the offseason.

What’s more, the potential deal would remove Lowe’s contract from the books. The former Seattle reliever has struggled mightily in Detroit, and could thrive in Oakland’s spacious ballpark.

In Kubitza, Oakland gets a pitcher who has experience starting and coming out of the bullpen. Once one of the Tigers’ best prospects, Kubitza has fallen down the rankings thanks to the arrival of pitchers with higher ceilings, such as Beau Burrows, Spencer Turnbull and Tyler Alexander—not to mention recent draftees Matt Manning and Kyle Funkhouser.

Per MLB.com’s prospect rankings, the A’s don’t have a catcher ranked among the team’s 25 best prospects, so one of Detroit’s catching prospects makes sense in this potential scenario. Scivicque looks like a future big leaguer, but with James McCann entrenched behind the plate, Detroit can deal from a position of depth here.

Start Taking Fliers on Players

• Junior Guerra, Milwaukee Brewers SP. 6-2 record, 3.06 ERA, 3.87 FIP and 72 strikeouts in 82.1 innings pitched. 2.2 WAR.
• Miguel Gonzalez, Chicago White Sox SP. 2-4 record, 4.39 ERA, 4.31 FIP and 51 strikeouts in 69.2 innings pitched. 0.8 WAR.
• Brandon Kintzler, Minnesota Twins RP. 0-0 record, 2.42 ERA, 4.29 FIP and 16 strikeouts in 26 innings pitched. 0.7 WAR.
• Matt Joyce, Pittsburgh Pirates OF. .295 batting average, .420 on-base percentage, 27 RBI and 17 extra-base hits in 76 games. 1.0 WAR.
• All four of the above-listed players were either signed to minor-league deals or claimed on waivers since the end of last season and have gone on to find success in 2016. There are quality players hitting the market at all times.

Detroit should be taking fliers on players to fill out the back end of the bench and the bullpen to see if there are any potential fits out there. Houston took a flier on reliever Will Harris back in November of 2014. Since joining the Astros on waivers, the former Diamondback has pitched to a 1.80 ERA in 110 innings pitched. Over the same span he’s struck out 107 batters. Harris recently traveled to San Diego for the All-Star Game.

Next: Time for Joe Jimenez

It isn’t as if the Tigers have a 40-man roster crowded with players essential to the team that is preventing moves from being made. Mike Aviles, Anthony Gose, Lowe and Jeff Ferrell have all struggled at times this season at various levels. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see one of the group designated for assignment should a move be made.