Detroit Tigers: Should they sell high on Mikie Mahtook?

Detroit Tigers fans saw a strong debut season in the Motor City from Mikie Mahtook. With the Tigers in full-on rebuild mode, should the franchise look to sell high on Mahtook in a trade?

Detroit Tigers outfielder Mikie Mahtook was one of the few bright spots for the team in 2017.

In a season that was a perfect storm, or imperfect storm if you prefer, of injuries, inconsistency and rough luck, the ex-Rays outfielder stood out.

Acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays for reliever Drew Smith in the offseason, the Louisiana State product was a cost-efficient replacement for Cameron Maybin.

According to Spotrac, Maybin made $9 million in 2017. Per the same publication, Mahtook took home $541,300 last season.

It’s also worth noting that the current Tigers player was a significant upgrade over his predecessor at the plate.

Cameron Maybin in 2017: 1.2 fWAR, 88 wRC+, .300 wOBA, .683 OPS, 20.9 strikeout percentage, .137 ISO.

Mikie Mahtook in 2017: 1.6 fWAR, 107 wRC+, .335 wOBA, .787 OPS, 20.8 strikeout percentage, .181 ISO.

While Mahtook’s season was certainly encouraging, this is a rebuild after all.

If the Tigers were still contending, the outfielder would probably be untouchable due to his controllability (per Spotrac he’s controllable for four more seasons) and youth.

But this isn’t a contending team, this is a rebuilding situation—and in a rebuild, any move that can make the team better over the long run is worth a look

That’s why there could be plenty of trade speculation and talk in the next year or two about Michael Fulmer. It’s why it makes sense for the Tigers to shop Shane Greene.

But should the Detroit Tigers try to sell high on Mikie Mahtook?

Long-term piece?

In a time where controllability is king, Mikie Mahtook certainly fits the bill as a long-term asset for a team.

However, is that team the Detroit Tigers?

The question is more, can the Tigers contend in the next four years?

In a perfect world, Detroit will be able to surprise some people next season and expedite the rebuild somewhat.

Relatively strong seasons from Fulmer, Matthew Boyd and Daniel Norris would certainly go a long way toward achieving that goal.

That being said, the reality is that much of Detroit’s exciting young talent is either at Double-A or in the low minors.

So while the likes of Franklin Perez, Beau Burrows, Grayson Long and Dawel Lugo could be in the Majors at some point next season, it could also take them longer to reach Detroit.

All in all, there are a lot of variables that could make this a shorter rebuild or a lengthier one.

If the Tigers think they can turn things around sooner rather than later, it make sense to hang on to Mahtook.

However, if it’s a lengthier rebuild, Detroit may find it prudent to move Mahtook while his value is high.

The team also have Mike Gerber and Christin Stewart close to the Majors.

Detroit can always deal Mahtook for prospects and sign a veteran to a short-term deal to serve as a place holder for Gerber or Stewart.

Can the Detroit Tigers move Mahtook for a relatively premium return? Or at least significant pieces that can help the team in the future?

These two questions would probably be easy yeses from an answer standpoint if the free agent and trade markets were devoid of outfield options.

However, that’s not exactly the case.

The free agent market is littered with outfield bats, many of whom (J.D. Martinez, Justin Upton, Curtis Granderson, Austin Jackson—I can keep going—Rajai Davis and Cameron Maybin) used to play for Detroit.

There’s also plenty of other intriguing outfielders who aren’t former Tigers, from Michael Brantley and Lorenzo Cain to Melky Cabrera, Carlos Gonzalez and Jay Bruce.

Purely from a financial standpoint, other teams may find it more appealing to trade for Mahtook than overpay an aging player with a multi-year deal as said player begins to decline.

Per Spotrac, the outfielder has four years of controllability left and isn’t eligible until arbitration until after the 2018 campaign.

The trade market

Mahtook certainly wouldn’t draw the kind of prospect haul that other outfielders conceivably on the trade market would.

The likes of Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich, Marcell Ozuna and Randal Grichuk hold more value than the Detroit outfielder based on their respective track records.

Still, in a similar vein to the free agent market, Mahtook could appeal to teams who aren’t willing to sacrifice the kind of prospect capital required to nab Yellich or Grichuk.

If Mahtook is shopped, the Tigers should market him as a center fielder to maximize any potential return.

His power and extra-base ability plays better in center field, where slugging players are less common.

Had Mahtook qualified from a plate appearances standpoint, he would have tied for eighth in the league among center fielders in ISO.

The seven players with a higher ISO number include Andrew McCutchen, Chris Taylor, Tommy Pham, George Springer, Granderson, Charlie Blackmon and some Anaheim player named Mike Trout. Might have heard of him.

Should the Detroit Tigers sell high on Mikie Mahtook?

Yes, but maybe down the road.

Executive vice president of baseball operations and general manager Al Avila and the rest of the front office should do everything they can to see if Mahtook can net a premium trade return this winter.

If they can’t get proverbial top dollar for him, the team can always keep the 27-year-old around and start him in the outfield along with Nicholas Castellanos.

At this point, the former third baseman is the team’s only other established option in the outfield.

What’s more, it wouldn’t be a shock to see Castellanos moved off the position if he continues to struggle in right field like he did down the stretch last season (-80.5 UZR/150, -7 DRS, -3.2 ARM in 173 innings).

Still, if the Tigers are going to struggle next season, it shouldn’t matter what the outfield grouping looks like so long as Gerber and Stewart are ready to be in the lineup at some point in the second half.

In this situation, moving Mahtook makes sense.

However, in a perfect world, Detroit would hang on to Mahtook for the first half of 2018, see him build on his play from this past season and then flip the outfielder to a team with a significant need for a prominent haul.

That way, the Detroit Tigers will have ready-made replacements in Gerber and Stewart while still adding pieces for the future.

It’s also possible that Detroit adds another young, Major League-ready outfielder in a trade this winter.

Next: The Tigers should make this trade with the Red Sox

Whether it be in a transaction for someone like Kinsler, Iglesias, Greene or Alex Wilson, acquiring another outfield solution would add another variable to the mix and make Mahtook conceivably more expendable.