Detroit Tigers have personnel to trade some veterans, still contend

Potential trade returns for Justin Wilson

Pittsburgh sent Melancon to the National League East franchise for 25-year-old reliever Felipe Rivero and pitching prospect Taylor Hearn.

Melancon helped stabilize the back end of Washington’s bullpen, while Rivero immediately moved into the back end of Pittsburgh’s relief corps.

Rivero has pitched to a 1.74 ERA and a 3.01 FIP in 67.1 innings since joining the Pirates, while Hearn is currently rated by MLB.com as the team’s 11^th-best prospect.

Justin Wilson doesn’t quite come with the same track record closing games as Melancon did, but unlike the fellow ex-Pittsburgh hurler, Wilson isn’t a rental.

The hard-throwing left-hander is controllable through the 2018 season, upping his value considerably.

As it would happen Washington hasn’t effectively replaced Melancon and could be a trade fit.

The Nats don’t have a ton of upper-level prospect depth, but the fit is there.

Other hypothetical trade partners include the Astros and Dodgers, who could utilize Wilson as the team’s top southpaw reliever. Both clubs have intriguing talent on the cusp of the Majors who could fit in Detroit.

In Houston’s case, a hypothetical trade involving Wilson and outfielder Derek Fisher would certainly make sense.

Fisher blends plenty of power and speed and is hitting .322 in Triple-A.

Houston has George Springer and Josh Reddick penciled into two outfields spots long term, while top prospect Kyle Tucker is showing well at Double-A.

Because of this, Fisher may be slightly more attainable given the team’s depth.

In the Dodgers’ case, center fielder Alex Verdugo and second baseman Willie Calhoun are both potential building blocks.