Detroit Tigers: Exploring Nicholas Castellanos Trade Scenarios

The Detroit Tigers are in rebuilding mode, and many of their most valuable players will be on the trade block, including right fielder Nicholas Castellanos.

With Detroit Tigers’ General Manager Al Avila admitting that basically everyone is on the block, it’s time to talk about Nicholas Castellanos. Castellanos has been Detroit’s best player this season, putting together an All-Star caliber campaign. He is slashing a blistering .305/.359/.517 with 15 home runs. His 48.8% hard hit rate is once again among the league leaders.

Additionally, his defense, while still not good, is improving in right field. He has a UZR/150 of -9.5 in nearly 800 innings this season, compared to a -53.5(!) last season.

Castellanos is a borderline superstar, and is under team control through 2019. The Tigers and Castellanos discussed an extension before this season began, but were not able to come to an agreement. While Castellanos has said he wants to stay in Detroit long-term, the Tigers need to consider all options with their burgeoning star.

That could include dealing him this season, while his value is at an all-time high. Teams would need to be prepared to surrender quite a bit in prospect capital to acquire Castellanos, as he is an all-star caliber player on a cheap contract who is under control for another year.

That, coupled with a limited market for outfielders and a plethora of other options (Adam Jones, Shin-Soo Choo, Corey Dickerson, etc.) will likely keep Castellanos in the Motor City.

However, what’s July without some speculation? If the Tigers do decide to move Castellanos, here are a few teams who could show interest and what a potential return could look like.

(Note: The Indians are probably the most outfield needy team that is buying, but Castellanos to the Indians is flat-out not going to happen, so I didn’t write it up)