Detroit Tigers: Exploring a Jose Iglesias to LA trade

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DETROIT, MI – APRIL 01: Shortstop Jose Iglesias #1 of the Detroit Tigers falls to the ground after colliding with left fielder Victor Reyes #22 of the Detroit Tigers after catching a fly ball hit by Gregory Polanco of the Pittsburgh Pirates during the fifth inning of game two of a double-header at Comerica Park on April 1, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) /

The Detroit Tigers have made it very clear that Jose Iglesias is going to be traded before he hits free agency. The Dodgers lost starting shortstop Corey Seager for the year. Could a trade be coming?

The Detroit Tigers are expected to be active sellers at the trade deadline. Shane Greene, Alex Wilson, Leonys Martin, Francisco Liriano, Michael Fulmer and Mike Fiers are among those expected to be dealt in July.

Another name, Jose Iglesias, has been one of the most discussed trade chips for the Tigers this season. General Manager Al Avila made it quite clear during the offseason that the Tigers are not planning to have Iggy be a part of the rebuild. As such, the team will try to deal him before he hits free agency after the year.

Recently, the Los Angeles Dodgers lost their superstar shortstop, Corey Seager, who will miss the rest of the 2018 season to undergo Tommy John surgery. While the Manny Machado rumors have already ramped up, the Dodgers could look for a cheaper alternative for the rest of 2018.

Y’all see where this is going. In fact, some of you even beat us to it:

Where is your post about available SS?
— Dan Hogan (@DanHogan95) April 30, 2018

Jose Iglesias to the Dodgers is not a perfect fit, but the Tigers brass will certainly explore it. Should they pick up the phone, it’ll be interesting to see A.) if the Dodgers will have any interest and B.) what the Tigers could get in return.

Here’s some speculation on our part.

LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 22: Cody Bellinger #35 of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chris Taylor #3 of the Los Angeles Dodgers cross the plate against the Washington Nationals in the sixth inning at Dodger Stadium on April 22, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images) /

Internal Options

The Dodgers have run into some serious bad luck on the injury front this year. Justin Turner has missed the entire season so far. Just as Turner is nearing a return to join Seager in the infield, Seager goes down. Even with their entire left side of the infield out at the moment, the Dodgers still have some internal options.

The most likely stopgap will be Chris Taylor, who played center fielder all year last year but has a background as a shortstop. If the Dodgers think Taylor (who hit .288 with 21 home runs and 17 steals last year) can play shortstop regularly, than they likely won’t explore a trade.

Obviously that would open up a hole in the outfield, but the Dodgers have Joc Pederson, Kike Hernandez, Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp and superstar prospect Alex Verdugo all in the fold. It’s likely they can piece together a very capable outfield from that group, and they’ll still have a strong shortstop in Taylor. (If the Dodgers wanted to add an outfielder and keep Taylor at SS, they could also look at Leonys Martin. But that’s another post.)

Breyvic Valera is LA’s other option. The 26-year-old came over from the Cardinals last year. He only has 13 career plate appearances however, and isn’t ready to be a starting infielder on a team that wants to reach the World Series. He slots in fine as a utility infielder, nothing more.

Trade Options

If the Dodgers decide they don’t want to shift Taylor to SS, they would almost certainly turn to the trade market. Manny Machado is an option, but the Dodgers are trying to stay under the luxury cap this season. They have $15 million to spare, but Machado’s contract would cost them $16 million. Plus, the amount of prospect capital the Dodgers would have to fork over for Machado would be outrageous. And if Seager is back and healthy in 2019, which he should be, then getting Machado would only be a one-year deal. That doesn’t seem worth it for the amount of prospects they’d surely have to give up.

The Rangers could make veteran SS Elvis Andrus available this summer. He’s currently on the disabled list, but expected back in a few weeks. He’d cost much less in prospect capital, although he’s signed through 2023 at about $15 million per year. So the Dodgers would either have to trade him when Seager gets back, or someone would need to switch positions. Neither is an ideal option.

That leaves Iglesias.

CHICAGO, IL – APRIL 05: Jose Iglesias #1 of the Detroit Tigers bats against the Chicago White Soxduring the Opening Day home game at Guaranteed Rate Field on April 5, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. The Tigers defeated the White Sox 9-7 in 10 innings. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

Iggy’s fit in LA

Compared to Andrus and Machado, Iglesias would cost the Dodgers much less – both financially and in prospect capital.

He also wouldn’t be as good.

Iggy isn’t helping his trade market out much this year, slashing an ugly .220/.258/.308 with six doubles and four stolen bases. His defense has looked excellent as always. Still, it may be hard to convince the Dodgers to buy a guy who has hit .252 with a 71 OPS+ since 2016.

Plus, while Iggy’s contract isn’t nearly as big as Andrus’ or Machado’s, he’s still getting paid $6.275 million this season. The Dodgers certainly aren’t going to give up prospects AND pay $6 million for an underperforming Iglesias. Especially not if they think Chris Taylor can handle the position, or are willing to pony up for Machado or Andrus.

However, it’s at least possible to envision a situation where the Dodgers decide to keep Taylor in center field and don’t want to jump over the salary cap. That would make Iglesias attractive to them, especially for his defense. The Dodgers have a strong lineup, so maybe they’d be willing to take on a guy like Iggy. He could hit ninth, right behind the pitcher, and focus on being an elite fielder. LA could survive with his below average offense if their other hitters perform like they are capable of.

So if it comes down to that, are there any ‘diamond in the rough’ prospects that the Tigers could try to acquire from LA?

LAKELAND, FL – MARCH 01: A view from the Tiger spring training home Joker Marchant Stadium before the game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Detroit Tigers at Joker Marchant Stadium on March 1, 2016 in Lakeland, Florida. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

The Dodgers have a deep farm system. Even though they’re unlikely to part with much talent to acquire Iglesias, there are still some fringe prospects that Detroit could try to get back for Iggy. Here are a few names to keep on the radar:

Romer Cuadrado

Cuadrado hit a blistering .335/.413/.523 in 2017 as a 20-year-old in rookie ball. He’s hitting .227 with four stolen bases at A-Ball this year, but has shown a nice blend of power and speed and is still very young.

Drew Jackson

On paper, Jackson is a 24-year-old infielder who has hit .238 in 202 plate appearances at Double-A. That doesn’t exactly scream future big league potential. But Jackson was a fifth-round pick by the Mariners back in 2015 and has swiped 89 bags in just 299 games. He has tweaked his swing in an attempt to hit for more power, and could find his way into a big league role someday.

Josh Sborz

After years of struggling as starter, the Dodgers have finally converted former second-round pick Josh Sborz to the bullpen. He has a 3.46 ERA in 13 innings at Double-A this season. The Tigers should immediately try to acquire Sborz, as his potential as a reliever is sky-high.

Andrew Sopko

Sopko was a seventh round pick in 2015, and although he has struggled to make it up to Double-A he has shown flashes of being an effective pitcher in the future. Like Sborz, he’s primarily been a starter but could transition into a reliever and find success that way. Could be worth a look.

Next: Using X-Stats to Evaluate Tigers

The Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Dodgers may not be the ideal trade partners, but the Dodgers need a SS and the Tigers have one for trade. It’s not impossible that they work out a deal.

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