Detroit Tigers: Why A Potential Justin Wilson Trade Return Should Be Significant

Detroit Tigers reliever Justin Wilson’s name has come up in trade rumors recently. Should the team move the veteran pitcher in a trade, the return should be significant.

Detroit Tigers general manager Al Avila leaves the Winter Meetings with just one relatively significant move made.

The team brought in Daniel Stumpf via the Rule 5 draft.

While Avila also added two minor league players via the Triple-A portion of the draft, much of the rumors regarding the Tigers involved potentially trading away players.

As it happens, the names of Miguel Cabrera, J.D. Martinez, Justin Verlander and Ian Kinsler didn’t dominate the headlines. Instead of Detroit’s veterans with higher salaries, younger players with relatively inexpensive salaries drew trade interest.

Jose Iglesias was rumored to be of interest to the San Diego Padres, but much of the Tigers rumors coming from the Winter Meetings regarded reliever Justin Wilson.

Fox Sports’ Jon Morosi tweeted about Wilson on Tuesday morning, “Many teams at Winter Meetings looking for left-handed relief; the #Tigers’ Justin Wilson is a popular name, source says. @MLB.”

It is easy to see the appeal with Wilson. The reliever throws in the mid-90s and is coming off a season in which he struck out 9.97 batters per nine innings. Additionally, Wilson logged a 3.02 SIERA.

If the Detroit Tigers end up trading Justin Wilson, the return needs to be significant.

Why Justin Wilson Could Have Value on the Trade Market Should Detroit Decide to Move Him

Not only does Justin Wilson throw hard and miss bats (12.5 swinging strike percentage), but he’s also controllable at a relatively inexpensive rate.

Per Spotrac, the reliever is controllable through 2018. Additionally, MLBTradeRumors projects a $2.7 million salary for the 29-year-old in 2017.

Elsewhere on the free agent market, fellow relievers like Joaquin Benoit and Marc Rzepczynski are signing deals with values that far exceed Wilson’s projected salary.

In a tweet sent out on Monday afternoon, Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported, “Joaquin Benoit’s one-year deal with Phillies will pay him $7.5 million, according to a source. That is what he made in 2016, too.”

ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick reported the specifics of Rzepczynski’s contract, tweeting on December 2^nd, “Marc Rzepczynski’s deal with #Mariners is for 2 years and $11M. He gets $5.5M each year.”

Benoit’s WAR in 2016 was 0.5. Rzepczynski’s WAR checked in at 0.4.

Justin Wilson’s WAR in 2016? 1.0.

Detroit’s setup man is without question the better reliever of the three, and given the high prices on the free agent market, teams may be willing to give up more in a trade to save money.

If Justin Wilson is Dealt

Should the Detroit Tigers decide to trade Justin Wilson, a similar return to the one Milwaukee received for Thornburg would make sense.

The Tigers are looking to contend. At this point, dealing Wilson for a couple of pitchers in Rookie ball simply isn’t going to help.

That being said, if Detroit can acquire a controllable, young, Major League player with ability and upside—as well as a prospect for the future—it would benefit the team in the long run.

What’s more, Detroit can afford to move Wilson given the team’s sudden depth in the bullpen. Bruce Rondon, Shane Greene and Joe Jimenez all represent hard-throwing options for Brad Ausmus, while Alex Wilson, Kyle Ryan and Blaine Hardy can provide quality innings.

This is all without mentioning Mark Lowe, who could rebound, as well as potential rookies in Victor Alcantara, Chad Bell and Myles Jaye who could contribute.

There’s also the possibility of a converted starting pitcher or two making the switch to the bullpen next season.

Anibal Sanchez showed well in a limited role as a reliever last season. With a crowded rotation, he could conceivably pitch in relief next season.

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Mike Pelfrey and Buck Farmer are two other starters who could transition into relieving. However, Sanchez, Pelfrey and Farmer would likely be more depth options that would allow the likes of Hardy and Ryan to pitch later in games.