Detroit Tigers: Hypothetical, Creative Ways to Trade Anibal Sanchez, Mike Pelfrey

Hypothetical Trade Scenarios

Unfortunately, injuries tend to be a regular occurrence in both Spring Training and the regular season. As such, a team who loses a starter to injury could be a hypothetical trade fit.

Those hypothetical teams would have to be able to take on Sanchez or Pelfrey’s salaries in deals—or at least swap a similar contract or contracts.

According to Spotrac, Sanchez is slated to make $16 million this year with an $800,000 signing bonus. Per the same publication, Pelfrey will earn $8 million in 2017.

Those relatively-high numbers certainly limit things in terms of trade partners, but the Detroit Tigers could conceivably trade either player for another bloated contract.

What’s more, Detroit could add a player like Steven Moya or Dixon Machado to a deal if either player isn’t going to make the Major League roster.

If the duo aren’t going to make the team by the end of camp, it makes more sense to trade them for something rather than risk losing them for nothing.

Both Moya and Machado are out of options, so trading them with one of the veteran starters could net the Tigers a more intriguing return.

The young, controllable position players would certainly be fits on a younger team where they can get more consistent playing time.