Detroit Tigers should trade Shane Greene for second baseman

The Detroit Tigers may not be done making moves. Relief pitcher Shane Greene is known to be on the market, and could bring in a solid second base option for the Tigers.

The Detroit Tigers traded second baseman Ian Kinsler to the Angels on Wednesday, bringing back two prospects.

With Andrew Romine headed west to Seattle, the Tigers have little in the way of second base depth on the roster.

Dixon Machado is the front-runner to start at second base in the 2018 season.

The 25-year-old Machado hit .259 with a 64 wRC+ in 166 at-bats last season. He profiles more as a utility infielder thanks to his defensive versatility and strong fielding.

He is not expected to hit well enough at the big league level to be a major league regular.

Kody Eaves hit well at Double-A last season, but only has 27 at-bats at the Triple-A level under his belt.

The 24-year-old is likely going to start at Triple-A next year, but needs to prove he can hit at that level before he is ready for the big leagues.

That leaves the Tigers pretty thin at the keystone. Fortunately, the Tigers still have a solid trade chip remaining. A trade chip they can leverage into a young, big league ready second baseman.

That trade chip is closer Shane Greene.

Greene, 29, had the best season of his career last year in Detroit. He threw 67.2 innings, earned nine saves and had a 2.66 ERA with a stellar 9.71 K/9 ratio.

However, some underlying numbers point to some luck in Greene’s 2017 numbers.

Greene walked 4.52 batters per nine innings, the highest mark of his career. He was fortunate that runners were left stranded 84.2% of the time, much higher than the league average (around 70%).

While his 2.66 ERA was nice, his 3.84 FIP and 4.24 xFIP were more revealing about his 2017 performance.

Steamer is an analytical tool used by Fangraphs that predicts a players upcoming season numbers based on advanced stats.

It projects Greene to post a 3.95 ERA next year.

The Tigers should trade Greene now while he still has value. He is under team control for three more seasons, which gives him even more trade value.

Finding a team that is willing to move a legitimate major league second baseman is not easy, but here are a few options the Tigers could explore.

Jurickson Profar

You may have guessed by the teaser, but the Tigers could certainly explore a deal with the Rangers that would bring them infielder Jurickson Profar.

It’s hard to believe Profar is only 24. Baseball America’s number one prospect after the 2012 season, Profar was considered a can’t miss superstar shortstop.

Unfortunately, injuries and ineffectiveness have derailed his career.

Profar hit just .172 in 58 at-bats with the Rangers last season. He was considerably better at Triple-A, where he hit .287 with a .383 on-base percentage and a 116 wRC+.

He also had a 11.2% walk-rate compared to a minuscule 8.6% strikeout rate at Triple-A.

Profar was not recalled by the Rangers late in the season and strongly voiced his displeasure. He felt his performance in Triple-A merited a call up. It seems likely that the Rangers will deal their disgruntled middle infielder, and the Tigers should use this opportunity to pounce.

Profar played everywhere around the infield last season in Texas, and also spent considerable time in left field. He graded out as a positive defender at second base in 2016 but only saw two innings there in 2017.

Still, the Tigers should take a chance on Profar to be their every day second baseman.

The Rangers are connected to nearly every relief pitcher on the market.

Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News indicates that they are willing to make trades to acquire pitching:

Greene would slot in as the most reliable late-inning option in the Rangers bullpen.

The Rangers already have Rougned Odor and Elvis Andrus on board, along with utility man Drew Robinson and recently acquired Willie Calhoun.

They can afford to part with Profar to acquire a much-needed late inning reliever.

Finally, the Tigers could look to ship Greene up to Boston for a second baseman.

Tzu-Wei Lin

Lin may not be the sexiest name on this list, but the 23-year-old showed promise in a limited role with the Red Sox last season. Enough promise for the Tigers to take a gamble on him as a potential second baseman.

Lin was originally signed by the Red Sox as an 18-year-old out of Taiwan for $2.05MM dollars.

He struggled with the stick in the lower levels of the minors, but his defense kept him coming up through the system.

Lin’s bat came alive in 2017. He hit .302 with a .379 on-base percentage and a 139 wRC+ in 159 at-bats at Double-A.

After a brief stop at Triple-A Lin was promoted to the show, replacing the the injured Dustin Pedroia.

Lin earned 56 at-bats with the Red Sox, hitting .268 with a very solid .369 OBP and a 94 wRC+.

While his power is virtually non-existent, Lin has a high-contact approach at the plate and shows a lot of patience. His 13.6% walk-rate with the Red Sox was extremely good, small sample size aside.

Lin’s calling card however, is with the glove.

The 24-year-old saw action at third base, shortstop and second base last year, rating very well at all three positions defensively. His 30.7 UZR/150 at second base was unreal, even if it only came in 44 innings of work.

In a lot of ways, Lin is a left-handed hitting version of Dixon Machado. However, Lin has shown more patience at the plate and better base running ability, making him likely to earn a spot over Machado should the two compete for the starting job.

The Tigers would likely want a prospect along with Lin if they were to part with Greene.

The Red Sox are always looking to bolster their bullpen and are trying frantically to keep up with the Yankees in the AL East. It certainly seems plausible that they would be willing to part with Lin and a mid-level prospect to acquire Greene’s services. Greene would slot into a middle relief role in Boston, bridging the gap between their rotation and closer Craig Kimbrel.

Related Story: Ian Kinsler Traded to Angels

The departure of Ian Kinsler leaves a big hole at second base for the Tigers.

While none of these candidates will immediately replicate Kinsler’s numbers, they represent a solid option to place at second base during the upcoming rebuild.