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Detroit Tigers should make this trade with the St. Louis Cardinals

By Ben Rosener

DETROIT, MI - AUGUST 12: Shane Greene #61 of the Detroit Tigers pitches against the Minnesota Twins during the ninth inning at Comerica Park on August 12, 2017 in Detroit, Michigan. Greene recorded his third win in the Tigers 12-11 win over the Twins. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - AUGUST 12: Shane Greene #61 of the Detroit Tigers pitches against the Minnesota Twins during the ninth inning at Comerica Park on August 12, 2017 in Detroit, Michigan. Greene recorded his third win in the Tigers 12-11 win over the Twins. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) /
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SAN DIEGO, CA – JULY 10: World Team manager Moises Alou (C) high fives Tyler O’Neill #4 after defeating the U.S. Team 11-3 in the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at PETCO Park on July 10, 2016 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CA – JULY 10: World Team manager Moises Alou (C) high fives Tyler O’Neill #4 after defeating the U.S. Team 11-3 in the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at PETCO Park on July 10, 2016 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

Detroit adds a future building block while St. Louis addresses a significant need

The trade:

Detroit Tigers acquire outfielder Tyler O’Neill, starting pitcher Ryan Helsley and reliever Ryan Sherriff.

St. Louis Cardinals acquire relievers Shane Greene and Alex Wilson.

The Cardinals added O’Neill, a prospect who ranked 38th on Baseball America’s list of top 100 prospects in February as part of a seemingly lopsided deal with the Seattle Mariners for 25-year-old starter Marco Gonzales.

Admittedly, Gonzales was once a well-regarded prospect in his own right and O’Neill didn’t make Baseball America’s midseason top-100 list in part due to a 2017 season with Triple-A Tacoma that saw him hit .244 with a .328 on-base percentage and a 106 wRC+.

Outfield options

While O’Neill still has a bright future, he’s a trade chip that the Cardinals could conceivably look to cash in on this winter due to the franchise’s log jam of quality in the outfield grass.

St. Louis’ outfield picture seems to be a crowded one for the long haul as well.

Per Spotrac, Dexter Fowler is under contract through 2021 with a full-no trade clause.

According to the same publication, Stephen Piscotty is locked up through 2022 with a club option for 2023.

There’s also Randal Grichuk, who per the folks at Spotrac has three years of club control via arbitration left.

Additionally, Tommy Pham, according to Spotrac, won’t be eligible for arbitration for another year and comes with four seasons of club control remaining.

Fellow top outfield prospects Harrison Bader and Magneuris Sierra also debuted in the Majors this season.

All that being said, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the team add another hitter this offseason. If said hitter is an outfielder, it could push O’Neill even further down the pecking order.

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