Detroit Tigers best remaining trade chips following Verlander and Upton deals

Detroit Tigers general manager Al Avila pulled off two key deals on Wednesday as the team dealt starting pitcher Justin Verlander and Justin Upton. Here are Detroit’s best remaining trade chips.

Detroit Tigers fans certainly saw an eventful end to August.

Seeing Justin Verlander and Justin Upton traded in the span of 24 hours will do that for you.

Tigers general manager Al Avila and the rest of the front office made a pair of key deals that could have a significant impact on the club’s future.

Detroit brought in four prospects in the trades sending out both Upton and Verlander.

The Upton deal netted starting pitcher Grayson Long, while the Verlander blockbuster brought in starter Franklin Perez, outfielder Daz Cameron and catcher Jake Rogers.

All four players have the chance to make an impact in Detroit, especially Perez, who has the ceiling of a frontline starter.

With Upton and Verlander out the door, the question now becomes what other veteran pieces will Detroit move?

September trades are always a possibility, but the bulk of Al Avila’s trading will likely come in the next offseason.

It obviously remains to be seen which players will be traded, but here are the Detroit Tigers best remaining trade chips.

*Note, Miguel Cabrera is excluded from this list considering teams may not want to take on his contract. Victor Martinez is also excluded until he’s healthy.

1 Shane Greene

There was a temptation to put Michael Fulmer here considering how much the Detroit Tigers could receive for their ace, but the fact remains that the team will likely return to contention while Fulmer is still in his prime.

Prospects like Jeimer Candelario, Christin Stewart, Franklin Perez, Beau Burrows, Mike Gerber and Grayson Long will all be in the Majors in the coming seasons.

The distinction of being the Tigers’ best trade chip falls to Greene.

The right-hander has shown this season that not only can he close games, but he can work multiple innings in an Andrew Miller-like capacity.

Add all of that to the fact that (per Spotrac) Greene is controllable trough 2020 and will enter arbitration for the first time this winter and the Tigers shouldn’t have trouble receiving a prominent prospects in return.

Every team needs quality relievers, and Greene is—simply put—really good at his job.

Effective late in games

Greene owns a 2.61 ERA, a 3.71 FIP and a 3.74 SIERA in 58.2 innings for Detroit. His 83.6 LOB% ranks 28^th in the Majors among relievers, while his win probability added (WPA) checks in at 15^th among all Major League relief pitchers.

Recent trades for controllable relievers like Dan Jennings and Tyler Thornburg have netted some quality returns for the team moving the player.

Chicago picked up former first-round pick and well-regarded first base prospect Casey Gillaspie for Jennings.

Meanwhile, the Brewers brought in Major League corner infielder Travis Shaw (3.2 WAR, .255 ISO in 2017) as well as prospects Mauricio Dubon and Josh Pennington.

It obviously remains to be seen what Greene’s value on the trade market is should the Tigers decide to move him.

However, it wouldn’t be a shock to see a significant haul of pieces return to Detroit should the closer be dealt.

3 Jose Iglesias

The 2017 season has shown us exactly the kind of player Jose Iglesias is—in case you had any doubts before.

Only Andrelton Simmons and Anthony Rendon have higher defensive runs above average among Major League position players this season.

What’s more Iglesias also ranks in the top 10 among all position players in UZR/150 (seventh) and DRS (11^th).

With 33 extra-base hits to his name this season and another season of controllability following the 2017 campaign, Iglesias should fetch a decent return if he’s traded.

It certainly doesn’t hurt that the free agent market includes Zack Cosart, Jed Lowrie, Alcides Escobar, Asdrubal Cabrera and little else in the way of starting options.

Iglesias is arguably a better overall player than all four.

4 Alex Wilson

Like Shane Greene, Wilson is an effective reliever who is controllable for the foreseeable future.

The 30-year-old still has two years left on his contract and has posted a FIP below 4.00 in each of his Major League seasons.

Wilson doesn’t miss as many bats as Greene does, but he still records outs on a consistent basis.

A potential sixth or seventh inning option for a contender, the right-hander can pitch more than inning if need be.

With a free agent market that could include Bryan Shaw, Brandon Kintzler, Pat Neshek and Luke Gregerson as right-handed setup options, team could find Wilson as a cheaper alternative.

5 Nicholas Castellanos

Controllable for two more seasons via arbitration and just 25, there’s a chance the Detroit Tigers could keep Nicholas Castellanos around, especially if his transition to outfield works out well from a defensive standpoint.

Castellanos’ bat should be play anywhere, especially if he can rediscover his 2016 form (.827 OPS, 119 wRC+, .212 ISO in 447 plate appearances).

That could be in Detroit, but it could also conceivably be in another city.

Best of the Rest

The remainder of Detroit’s roster is either filled with young players who the team will hang on to like Fulmer, Joe Jimenez, James McCann or struggling pitchers who it may be more prudent to keep in the hope that they develop.

That being said, here are the best of the rest of the Detroit Tigers’ potential trade chips

Daniel Stumpf

Daniel Stumpf doesn’t have the track record of a reliever like Greene or Wilson, but he’s left-handed reliever, throws hard and is controllable.

Those qualities certainly make him a conceivable trade chip.

Andrew Romine

Everyone needs a utility ace, and Romine is just that.

The most versatile Detroit Tigers player this side of Don Kelly, Romine is controllable through next season via arbitration.

He could fit onto a contender’s bench.

Warwick Saupold

Saupold isn’t even eligible for arbitration until after the 2018 season and may stick around because of that fact.

Still, the 26-year-old has been effective as a long reliever out of the bullpen, and could conceivably appeal to teams as a swingman of sorts.

Alex Presley

The veteran could appeal to teams as a potential fourth outfielder with solid speed and on-base skills.

Able to play all three outfield spots, Presley is hitting .291 with a .340 on-base percentage, a .312 wOBA and a 91 wRC+ this season.

Next: Franklin Perez, Daz Cameron and Jake Rogers give Tigers bright future

He can be controlled via arbitration through next season.