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)

Seattle Mariners

The Mariners have All-Star Mitch Haniger in right field, but the rest of their starting outfield is Guillermo Heredia and Denard Span. While they’ve played decent, that’s not an outfield that will win a team a World Series. Ben Gamel has been a capable fourth outfielder, but the Mariners could use another slugging outfielder. Castellanos could transition over to left field, allowing Span to be more of a fourth outfielder/platoon option.

The Mariners also need some help at first base, although Robinson Cano‘s return from suspension may involve him platooning at first with Ryon Healy. Moving Castellanos midseason is not a great move, but Seattle could transition him to first base during the offseason as well, if they chose to.

It’s not a perfect fit, but Castellanos would give the M’s some more oomph in their lineup. A top six of Dee Gordon, Jean Segura, Nicholas Castellanos, Nelson Cruz, Kyle Seager and Mitch Haniger would be elite.

They don’t have a ton of prospects that would be of interest to Seattle, since Top-100 prospect Kyle Lewis is likely off the table. However, Daniel Vogelbach is a power-hitting first base prospect, and could be of interest to the Tigers. Miguel Cabrera will certainly move to DH next season, leaving first base as a position of need.

Additionally, 1B Evan White and OF Julio Rodriguez are both intriguing position player prospects that could appeal to the Tigers.

St. Louis Cardinals

The biggest question about the Cardinals is if they will actually choose to be buyers or not. They are currently 48-46 and buried in third place in the NL Central. If they do decide to go for it, Castellanos would help solve their right field problem this season.

Dexter Fowler has started 61 games for them in right field, but he has been unbelievably bad. He’s hitting an appalling .176 with seven home runs and three steals. He finally got benched, with rookie Harrison Bader taking over. The 24-year-old Bader has been solid, with a .272/.340/.413 line to go along with six home runs and nine steals.

Still, the Cardinals could use an upgrade and Castellanos would absolutely provide that. He could slot in right field, pushing Bader into a reserve role and allowing St. Louis to jettison Fowler.

If the Cardinals are buying, the Tigers should try to acquire Tyler O’Neill. The 23-year-old slugger is absolutely mashing at Triple-A, with 19 home runs and a .294/.356/.634 slash line in 52 games. O’Neill is a younger, more cost-controlled version of Castellanos, and would give the Tigers a player to partner with Daz Cameron and Christin Stewart in the team’s future outfield.

If O’Neill proves a bit too ambitious, second baseman Max Schrock would be another promising target. Schrock, 23, swings from the left side and is a high-quality defender at the keystone. He profiles as a high-contact hitter who could hit .300 with limited strikeouts. His power and speed are average, enough to project him as a regular big league starter.

Next: Exploring Michael Fulmer Trade Scenarios

The Detroit Tigers don’t need to deal Castellanos. With a limited number of teams needing outfield help, it’s more likely they’ll hold onto him and either try again to extend him or try to move him next year.