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.

The Rockies will need to decide if they are going to be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline. They are in fourth place in the NL West, but are only 5.5 games out of second place. If the Rockies do decide to buy, one place they could afford some extra help is in center field.

Charlie Blackmon is not having a great year, but he will remain the undisputed starter even if they acquire Martin. Gerardo Parra and Carlos Gonzalez are starting in left and right, respectively. Both are having average seasons, and neither are capable of patrolling center field at this stage in their career. David Dahl is out for another month or so, and the combo of backups Noel Cuevas and Mike Tauchman has been uninspiring, to say the very least.

Similar to Boston, Colorado could show interest in Martin as a defense-first fourth outfielder. And like Boston, they may not want to part with high-profile prospects to shore up their bench. However, if they do decide to go all-in and shoot for a playoff berth, they could mortgage some of their farm system to add a guy like Martin.

Potential Return?

Forrest Wall is a former 2B prospect that the Rockies converted to center field. While most scouts think he will be restricted to left field in the show, he has a solid bat tool and plus speed, which could make him a Peter Bourjos type player. Injuries have slowed his development in the minors, but he has taken big strides forward this season. He began the year at High-A, hitting .305 and stealing 20 bases in just 47 games. He was promoted to Double-A and although he’s only hit .220, he sports a solid 10.5% walk rate with three home runs and five steals in 23 games.

A couple other prospects the Tigers could inquire about from Colorado include 1B/3B Tyler Nevin (son of former Tiger Phil Nevin) flame-throwing right-hander Robert Tyler and first baseman Brian Mundell.

This is probably the least like trade scenario, although the Indians are the most outfield needy team that is in contention. Bradley Zimmer, Lonnie Chisenhall and Brandon Guyer are all playing quite a bit in Cleveland, with Rajai Davis and Greg Allen seeing the field as well. That’s not a great recipe for success in the outfield, and Cleveland could really use a steady outfield presence like Martin to patrol CF.

Still, the odds of the Tigers sending a useful piece to a division rival are extremely slim. Even slimmer are the odds that Cleveland will want to send any sort of prospect with potential to Detroit. Having to watch a player you once possessed perform well against you 20 times per season is not ideal, and is the reason inter-division trades are very rare.

That’s why the two teams have only connected on seven trades since 2000, with the only notable one being the Jhonny Peralta trade back in 2010.

Potential Return?

If the Indians and Tigers did decide to bury the hatchet and try to work out a deal, a few prospects the Tigers could consider include 17-year-old outfielder George Valera, 19-year-old shortstop Tyler Freeman and – if they are really feeling bold – former first overall pick Brady Aiken.

Next: Exploring Matthew Boyd Trade Scenarios

The Detroit Tigers are in an enviable trade situation with Martin. Although the need for outfielders around the league is slim, the Tigers could choose to hold Martin and either look to deal him in the offseason, or bring him back again next year. If a team were hit with an injury and needed an outfielder, Detroit would have leverage in any potential trades.

Martin is a nice bridge for the rebuild, so there’s no rush to trade him. If he can bring in a nice haul of prospects, even better.