Detroit Tigers should make this trade with the Boston Red Sox

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BOSTON, MA – OCTOBER 08: Carson Smith #39 of the Boston Red Sox reacts after the final out against the Houston Astros during game three of the American League Division Series at Fenway Park on October 8, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

Detroit’s side of the (hypothetical) deal

In return, the Detroit Tigers would receive Greene’s potential replacement in Carson Smith.

Smith, who according to Spotrac is also controllable for the next three seasons, has served as a closer before.

The 28-year-old saved 13 games for the Seattle Mariners in 2015, while also finishing 24 games in the process that season.

He worked to a 2.31 ERA, a 2.12 FIP and 11.8 strikeouts per nine innings that season. The reliever also allowed just 22 walks in in 70 frames for the M’s.

Dombrowski nabbed Smith along with Roenis Elias from Seattle for Wade Miley and Jonathan Aro in a lopsided move that evoked the original Doug Fister trade.

However, Smith has been limited by injury since the move, pitching in just 11 games (9.1 innings) since the deal due to Tommy John surgery.

If he can find his form, Smith has a chance to be an impact reliever late in games.

Detroit would also snag two potential building blocks in Travis and Chavis.

Sam Travis

Travis is a right-handed hitting first baseman who has already broken into the big leagues. The 24-year-old garnered 83 plate appearances for the Sox in 2017.

While his numbers in an extremely small sample (.296 wOBA, 78 wRC+) won’t excite, there’s plenty of upside to be had.

MLB.com’s MLB Pipeline wrote the following about Travis:

"“Travis is a polished right-handed hitter who lets his power come naturally rather than worrying about homers. He recognizes pitches, controls the strike zone and makes loud contact from gap to gap. He has the bat speed and strength to hit 20 or more homers per season if he were to adopt a more aggressive approach, which he may have to do to fit the first-base profile.”"

While Boston will see Mitch Moreland reach free agency this winter, Travis may still be buried on the depth chart.

If the Red Sox sign a power bat like J.D. Martinez or Justin Upton this offseason, the club may rotate said player with Benitendi and Betts between the outfield and designated hitter.

This would move Hanley Ramirez back to first base.

In Detroit, Travis would be able to slot in right away as the team’s first baseman.

This would let Miguel Cabrera see the majority of his plate appearances at designated hitter, a move that would remove the risk of getting injured in the field from the equation for the future Hall of Famer.