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 Red Sox already have a left-handed hitting, excellent defensive center fielder in Jackie Bradley Jr. However, Bradley Jr. has been absolutely atrocious at the plate this season, slashing a miserable .199/.291/.323 with five home runs and eight stolen bases. While Martin likely wouldn’t take over the starting duties from JBJ, he would give the Red Sox much-needed depth in the outfield.

Andrew Benintendi and Mookie Betts round out Boston’s outfield. Both of them are elite, and both might be starting in next month’s all-star game. However, beyond those two and Bradley the team lacks depth in the outfield. The only other players to see the grass for Boston this season are J.D. Martinez (who is well past his prime defensively) Brock Holt, Sam Travis and Blake Swihart. Holt, Travis and Swihart each play a different primary position, and none of them are graded out as good defensive outfielders.

So to sum up: if Bradley Jr. gets hurt or needs a day off, the team has basically no one who can cover center field. The team also lacks speed off the bench, so Martin makes perfect sense as a defense-first fourth outfielder who can spell JBJ and pinch-run when necessary.

Potential Return?

The primary challenge here is that Boston likely doesn’t want to part with too much to acquire a bench bat. Martin will have plenty of value for Boston, but they don’t have the best farm system and may not want to mortgage premier talent to acquire Martin.

Bobby Dalbec (No. 8 by MLB Pipeline) is an intriguing corner infield prospect that the Tigers could shoot for if the Red Sox come calling. He has a lot of swing-and-miss in his game, but has blasted 14 home runs in just 70 games this season, along with a stellar 14.4% walk rate.

A few other names to keep in mind in Boston’s farm include 1B/OF Pedro Castellanos (no relation), 2B Brett Netzer, and left-hander Bobby Poyner.

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.