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

Detroit Tigers pitchers Anibal Sanchez and Mike Pelfrey struggled last season. With Daniel Norris and Matt Boyd replacing the duo in the rotation, Detroit could hypothetically trade the veterans.

Detroit Tigers baseball is officially back. Spring Training is getting into the swing of things, with games having already begun. So far, the club has played eight games against Major League opposition.

The Tigers have won just three of these games, but Spring Training is more about shaping the roster and finding the right group to carry for Opening Day.

Some Detroit players have already started to stand out.

Miguel Cabrera, unsurprisingly, seems to be in mid-season form already, with a .462 batting average already in just 13 at-bats.

Elsewhere, the likes of Dominic Ficociello, Ruben Alaniz and Arcenio Leon have all made impacts.

However, some Tigers players have posted numbers that aren’t exactly stats to write home about.

Anibal Sanchez was ambushed for four hits, three runs and a walk in just one inning.

Elsewhere, Mike Pelfrey has been tagged for six hits, three runs and three walks in two outings spanning 3.2 frames.

It’s obviously still exceedingly early in the grand scheme of things, and the veteran duo may turn things around.

However, Sanchez and Pelfrey’s early numbers are reminiscent of their respective stats last season.

In 153.1 innings, Sanchez turned in a 5.87 ERA and a 5.06 FIP. Meanwhile, Pelfrey posted a 5.15 FIP and a 1.731 WHIP over the span of 119 frames.

If the duo continue to struggle, the Tigers could be in a difficult spot where constructing the team’s roster is concerned.

Roster Spots

Justin Verlander, Michael Fulmer, Jordan Zimmermann, Daniel Norris, Matt Boyd, Buck Farmer, Chad Bell and Myles Jaye offer plenty of options in the rotation, while Warwick Saupold, Drew VerHagen and William Cuevas could also step into the rotation if need be.

In the bullpen, there may not be much room for a struggling Sanchez or Pelfrey.

Some combination of Blaine Hardy, Joe Jimenez, Mark Lowe, Kyle Ryan, Daniel Stumpf, VerHagen, Bell, Alcantara, Saupold and Farmer will join Francisco Rodriguez, Bruce Rondon, Justin Wilson and Alex Wilson in Detroit’s relief pitcher mix.

Considering both Sanchez and Pelfrey are long past being out of minor league options, a trade could make sense.

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.