Detroit Tigers: Exploring Leonys Martin trade scenarios

Detroit Tigers’ veteran center fielder Leonys Martin has had an unexpectedly good season in the Motor City. What does the trade market hold for him?

The Detroit Tigers have a handful of trade pieces they will look to move before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. Mike Fiers, Francisco Liriano and Jose Iglesias all seem likely to be shopped, as they will be free agents at the end of the year. Longer term assets like Michael Fulmer, Matthew Boyd and even Nicholas Castellanos could be shopped as well, although moving them seems less likely.

That brings us to Leonys Martin, who was signed to a one-year, $1.75 million dollar contract this offseason. However, Martin will not be a free agent at the end of the year, as he has one arbitration year remaining. So the Tigers will control him through 2019.

That means the Tigers can be pickier with trade offers on Martin, similar to the situation with Boyd. Also similar is the fact that both players are performing above expectations, which makes them more appealing trade candidates.

Trade Market

While the trade market for left-handed pitching is fairly clear, the market for speedy, defensive outfielders is much murkier. That’s the bad news, but the good news is that there are fewer teams shopping starting outfielders, so the Tigers will hopefully have more leverage.

Here are a few teams who could be looking for a player like Martin, along with what some potential returns could look like.