Detroit Tigers: James McCann to the Nationals?

The Detroit Tigers have been very active on the sellers market, and the Nationals are known to be looking for a catcher. Could a trade be worked out?

Detroit Tigers General Manager Al Avila has made it clear this team is in rebuilding mode. With that comes the loss of many fan favorites. Justin Verlander, Justin Upton, J.D. Martinez, Alex Avila and Ian Kinsler are all casualties of the decision to tear down and build for the future.

While trading away those assets was a practical decision, now comes the hard part. The Tigers have multiple players who are right on the line between being a part of the teams future or being traded for longer-term assets.

Nicholas Castellanos, Jose Iglesias, Shane Greene and James McCann all fit right into that “will they, won’t they” category.

Avila has made it clear that Iglesias will not be a part of the teams future. Castellanos turned down an extension, a sign that he may not stick with the Tigers when his contract is up. While we have projected multiple trade opportunities for Greene, it appears the Tigers are content keeping him around at least until the trade deadline.

McCann’s name has not come up much the trade market, and for good reason. While he is 28 years old, he is under team control through 2020, per Spotrac. Detroit’s catching prospects are not ready to be big leaguers, so it makes sense for the Tigers to hold McCann.

However, there is a team with plenty of prospects that is in need of a catcher. They could entice the Tigers to move the McCannon, for the right price.