Detroit Tigers: Exploring a trade with the Mariners

The Detroit Tigers, despite being near the top of the standings in the weak AL Central, are still going to be sellers at the trade deadline.

Detroit Tigers’ GM Al Avila indicated this off-season that the team will be undergoing a rebuild for the next few years. Detroit’s surprising spot in the standings in mid-May should not impact that plan. As such, a handful of players should, and likely will be, dealt at the trade deadline this year.

The Seattle Mariners, Detroit’s opponent last weekend and this upcoming weekend, are in a much different place. With aging stars and a rather barren farm system, the Mariners are cashing everything in to try to make a play-off run sooner rather than later. While their offense has been good this season, some ugly performances from their rotation and bullpen have held them back.

Additionally, superstar second baseman Robinson Cano was just suspended 80 games for a positive drug test. The Mariners have some holes they need to fill, and they need to fill them soon if they want to secure themselves a spot in the wild card. Their playoff drought is nearly old enough to vote (last appearance: 2001) and the team in the Pacific Northwest is getting pretty desperate.

Between the handful of trade assets the Tigers have, and the needs of the Seattle Mariners, it seems very likely that a trade could be arranged.

Here are a couple of players the Detroit Tigers could trade, where they would fit in Seattle, and what type of return the Tigers could expect.

The Detroit Tigers have a handful of players who they could look to deal in exchange for prospects and/or salary relief. Here’s a look at who those guys are and how likely Detroit is to move them during the season:

Mike Fiers

The Tigers signed Fiers to a one-year, $6 million dollar contract this offseason. The intention all along has been to have Fiers be an end of the rotation innings eater. If he pitches well, the team can trade him at the deadline. So far Fiers has a 4.23 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP across seven starts. Not bad – enough that a pitching desperate team may come looking.

Michael Fulmer

Obviously Detroit’s most notable trade piece, the Tigers would be looking for a King’s ransom, at minimum, in order to part with the 25-year-old right-hander. Our own Grant Stoye explored some options not that long ago, but unless a team with a ton of prospects comes knocking, don’t expect Fulmer to be dealt this year.

Shane Greene

Another one of Detroit’s most talked about trade assets, Greene is under team control through 2020 and is on a very reasonable $1.95 million dollar deal this year. The closer has had his ups and downs this season, but currently sports a 3.72 ERA and a 24/8 K/BB ratio with nine saves. The Tigers don’t need to move Greene this year, so don’t be surprised if they are picky about what they get in return. Relievers tend to fetch a big haul at the deadline. If a team does come calling it wouldn’t be surprising to see him shipped away.

Jose Iglesias

Detroit Tigers GM Al Avila all but guaranteed that shortstop Jose Iglesias would be dealt before the end of the 2018 season. Very few teams have been looking for infield help, and Iglesias has not helped with his .236/.285/.350 slash line. He does have two homers and five steals, and has played his standard excellent defense, so the Tigers can surely find a spot for him. His contract presents an issue however, so the Tigers will likely have to eat some of his contract in order to move him.

Francisco Liriano

Liriano, like Fiers, was signed to a one-year deal this offseason. The team decided to stick him in the starting rotation, hoping he’d accrue some trade value with a strong first half. His last outing wasn’t great, but for the most part Liriano has looked solid. If he stays healthy through July, he will likely be dealt to a team in need of pitching.

Leonys Martin

The first of Detroit’s one-year off-season signings, Martin has looked excellent in the leadoff spot this year for the Tigers. He sports a .294/.355/.508 slash line with five home runs. He is on the DL currently, but if he stays healthy and continues to hit well, there is no doubt the Tigers will look to move him for prospects in July.

Victor Martinez

The 39-year-old Martinez is in the last year of his gargantuan four-year, $68 million dollar contract. He is all but certain to retire at the end of this year, where he is owed a cool $18 million. Finding a trade partner for Martinez and his .222/.296/.341 slash line, especially at his cost, will be nearly impossible. If the Tigers have to eat a big chunk of the money to move him, they would consider it. Even that, however, seems unlikely considering his underwhelming performance and his lack of versatility.

James McCann

Another tricky one for the Tigers is James McCann, who is under team control through 2020. However, he is not going to be Detroit’s catcher of the future, with some combination of Jake Rogers, Sam McMillan and Grayson Greiner likely to fill that role. So it makes sense for the Tigers to look for trade partners for McCann sooner rather than later. Don’t expect him to be dealt at the deadline unless some desperate, catcher needy team comes looking.

Alex Wilson

Wilson is under control through 2019, but the Tigers are surely hoping they can move any of their veteran relievers at the trade deadline, where relievers are at a premium price wise. Wilson’s 4.50 ERA and four home runs surrendered in just 20 innings of work is not helping his cause. His current placement on the DL doesn’t help either. Expect the Tigers to hold Wilson, for now.

The biggest storyline for the Seattle Mariners right now is Robinson Cano’s 80-game suspension. While the Tigers don’t have a second baseman to trade, there are still plenty of ways these two teams could make a deal. Here are the players the Mariners might be interested in:

Starting Pitching: Mike Fiers and Francisco Liriano

Outside of James Paxton, the Mariners have not had much success from their starting pitchers. Mike Leake has a 5.72 ERA. Marco Gonzales is at 5.31. The formerly great King Felix Hernandez is at 5.66. The Mariners could desperately use a steady presence in their starting rotation if they want to make the play-offs.

Either of Fiers of Liriano could easily fill that role for Seattle. While they don’t have nearly the prospect capital to go after Fulmer, they could certainly part with a mid-level prospect and maybe a lower level guy to acquire one of Fiers or Liriano to provide stability to their rotation.

Relievers: Shane Greene and Alex Wilson

Edwin Diaz is one of the best closers in all of baseball. James Pazos and Chasen Bradford have looked solid in the middle innings as well. However, the Mariners could definitely use some reinforcements in the bullpen. Juan Nicasio was brought in to be their eighth inning guy, but his 6.16 ERA has really hurt. Likewise Nick Vincent has underperformed and Marc Rzepczynski, nicknamed scrabble, has been atrocious.

Alex Wilson has not looked great this year (and is currently hurt) so he’s likely not on the table. Greene however could be a great fit in Seattle. While he would cost the Mariners one of their better prospects it would be worth it to acquire a lock-down bridge to Diaz in the ninth inning.

Another option that hasn’t been talked much about is Blaine Hardy, whom the Mariners could make a pitch for. He would cost them very little, but they have had horrible performances from their left-handers and could really use a veteran lefty in their pen.

Hitters: Jose Iglesias and Leonys Martin

I don’t see any reason why the Mariners would make a push for James McCann with Zunino behind the plate. And they’re even less likely to trade for Martinez since they have their own old (but significantly better) DH in Nelson Cruz.

Martin and Iglesias are each a bit more likely, although the hinge is what they decide to do at 2B without Cano. Initially it looks like they will use journeyman Gordon Beckham at second base. He’s a career .239 hitter however, so there’s a good chance that doesn’t last. Taylor Motter and former Tiger Andrew Romine are both on hand as well, although they are better suited for utility roles and not full-time starting positions.

Their last, and likely best option, is to move Dee Gordon back to second base. Gordon has been playing center field for the Mariners ever since they traded for him this offseason. Gordon would need some adjustment, but should be able to regain his footing as an infielder in short order. That, however, would leave a hole in center field for the M’s.

The Mariners have already gone down the Leonys Martin path, so they may be hesitant to pick him up again. Especially after he slashed an ugly .234/.291/.362 with a 78 OPS+ in a Mariners uniform. Still, if they do move Gordon to 2B he’d be a nice piece for them to add to their outfield.

If they choose to keep Gordon in CF, Iglesias could be an infield option as well. Jean Segura is a natural SS, so the fit isn’t quite as obvious here. With Iggy’s lackluster performance and big contract, this seems like one of the least likely options for the Mariners to explore.