Detroit Tigers: Exploring Matthew Boyd Trade Scenarios

The Nationals top four starters have been electric this season. Max Scherzer is well on his way to another Cy Young. Stephen Strasburg has been his trademark dominant self. Gio Gonzalez and Tanner Roark are a pair of veterans who have pitched well throughout the season.

However, the No. 5 spot has been a problem in D.C. Jeremy Hellickson was absolutely dominant in nine starts, pitching to a 2.28 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP. However a hamstring injury has held him out for a couple of weeks. Hellickson is expected back this week, but his absence exposed Washington’s fatal flaw: a lack of rotation depth. Erick Fedde filled in while Hellickson was out, making four starts and earning a 5.32 ERA. Jefry Rodriguez has given up nine earned in his nine innings as a starter this season. A.J. Cole is the only other pitcher to start for Washington this season, and he’s no longer with the team.

Enter Boyd

A rotation of Scherzer, Strasburg, Hellickson, Roark and Gonzalez is downright filthy. The problem is that many of these guys are injury prone. And Fedde and Rodriguez are not fit to fill-in the rotation on a team with World Series aspirations.

Boyd would give the Nationals rotation depth along with a second left-hander. He could be used in long relief if everyone else is healthy, but would almost surely be needed as a starter at some point during the year.

It’s not as obvious of a fit in Washington as it is in New York or Seattle, but the Nats have a nice farm system and I could see them making a move for Boyd.

Daniel Johnson

Daniel Johnson is a college bat who the Nationals took in the fifth round in 2016. He hits left-handed and has a cannon arm, so he looks like a future right fielder – although some scouts think he could stick in center. Johnson is at Double-A currently, and is slashing .286/.354/.408 with 16 stolen bases in 52 games. He has the tools to develop more power in the future, and could be a 15/20 guy in the big leagues if he reaches his potential. He’ll need to figure out how to hit left-handed pitching to avoid being a platoon bat, but he’s worth a look as a headliner in a Boyd package.

Jose Sanchez

Jose Sanchez is a 17-year-old middle infield prospect who is already playing in short season ball. He projects as an elite defensive player, with 60 grades for both his fielding and his arm. His hit tool is under developed, but at 17 years old that’s not too much of a surprise. He will need to hit to earn a regular big league job, but he already has a floor as a glove-first utility infielder. Adding a 17-year-old infielder with that type of glove would be a great find for the Tigers.

Wil Crowe, Luis Reyes, Nick Raquet and Austin Voth are some arms in Washington’s system that Detroit could target as well.

Next: Five Best Trades in Franchise History

The Detroit Tigers don’t need to trade Matthew Boyd. That allows them to be very picky when it comes to offers. With multiple teams interested in his services, the Tigers could start a bidding war and land themselves quite the haul of prospects.

Losing Boyd would hurt, but such is the cost of rebuilding.