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

Detroit Tigers players have guided the team to a 46-43 record. Detroit is in the thick of the playoff race, but could use some additions. The Tigers also need pieces for the future. Here are four moves that could help.

Detroit Tigers young players have excelled so far this season. It may sound surprising to someone unfamiliar with the Tigers, but Detroit fans know it to be true.

Michael Fulmer may just vault himself into the Cy Young discussion if he can post similar numbers in the second half to those that he put up before the All-Star Game. The future ace is 9-2 with a 2.11 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 76.2 innings pitched.

Fulmer is just 23-years-old, while Nick Castellanos (24) is having a tremendous, breakout season. The third baseman has already eclipsed his career-high total for home runs with 17 in only 85 games. He’s also added 51 RBI, 19 doubles and a .302 batting average.

Fellow 24-year-old Steven Moya (.839 OPS, 11 extra-base hits and 11 RBI in 25 games) and 25-year-old Bruce Rondon (3.72 ERA, 10 strikeouts in 9.2 innings pitched) have both shown well in limited playing time. Daniel Norris (23) and Matt Boyd (25) have also had their moments.

The Tigers have a solid young core to build around, but the team could use more impact players to carry the team in the future. Prospects like Matt Manning, JaCoby Jones, Christin Stewart, Kyle Funkhouser and Joe Jimenez all possess the potential to be impact performers at the Major-League level, but more depth and quality is needed in the Detroit organization.

The team obviously needs more in the way of young talent, but Detroit can’t throw away the current season either by selling off pieces. The Tigers have a chance at the playoffs, and with aging stars on the roster, Brad Ausmus and Al Avila should aim for the World Series.

Here are four moves the team can make that will help them 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 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.