Detroit Tigers: 4 Players who could still be traded

Even though the non-waiver trade deadline has passed, the Detroit Tigers can still make trades up until August 31, and four players could be dealt.

Last season, the Detroit Tigers traded both Justin Verlander and Justin Upton after the non-waiver trade deadline had passed. While the team won’t be making any moves that franchise-altering this season, there are still a handful players who could be dealt between now and August 31, which is the deadline for a player to be eligible for the postseason roster.

Tigers fans are likely more familiar than most about how August trades work. However, here is a quick rundown for those who need a refresher. More details can be found on MLBTradeRumors.

A team can place any player on revocable waivers, where they are eligible to be claimed by any team for the next 47 hours. If they are not claimed, they are eligible to be traded to any team. If they are claimed, the team has three options: pull the player off waivers and keep them, work out a trade with the team that claimed them, or allow the player to leave for that team, where they will absorb the entirety of their contract.

If more than one team claims a certain player, than the team with priority is the team with the worst record in that team’s league.

What this means for Detroit

So for the Tigers this season, there are a few players that the team will likely explore placing on waivers and trading. Players like Nicholas Castellanos and Matthew Boyd are on team friendly contracts and have lots of team control, so they are unlikely to be placed on waivers. Multiple teams will try to claim them in an attempt to ‘block’ their competition from acquiring them. The Tigers won’t let those players walk, and so a trade would be unlikely happen.

Likewise, the Tigers could place Victor Martinez on waivers, but no team is going to claim him and risk having to absorb his contract. He would then be free for the Tigers to trade him to any team, where they would only owe him a prorated portion of the league minimum.

It’s almost certain that the Tigers will pass Martinez through waivers, but equally unlikely that any team will attempt to trade for him unless he performs much better in August.

Without further ado, here are four Detroit Tigers who could be dealt this August, and which teams may show interest.

Mike Fiers

Mike Fiers has been one of Detroit’s best starting pitchers this season, and it was a bit of a surprise to see him still with the Tigers after the deadline. However, his $6 million dollar salary and surprisingly excellent performance this season have made him a prime August trade candidate. Presently, Fiers is still owed about $1.96 of the $6 million on his contract for this season.

Fiers currently boasts a 3.48 ERA in 21 starts. He has a 6.58 K/9 and a career-low 1.97 BB/9. Any playoff bound team that needs a boost to the back of their rotation (and that’s pretty much all of them) could really use a guy like Fiers.

If the Tigers place him on waivers, it’s possible a team will try to claim him. If they do, the Tigers could let Fiers go and rid themselves of the $2 million left on his deal. More than likely, teams will let him pass which will allow the Tigers a chance to shop him around again.

Oakland was the team showing the most interest in Fiers before the non-waiver deadline, and they quite likely going to have continued interest in him now that Daniel Gossett is having Tommy John surgery. Allegedly, the Tigers and A’s had a trade in the works but the two sides balked when a disagreement about how much money each team should pay came up.

The waiver system would alleviate that, and could allow these two teams to resume talks.

Other interested teams

However, there are a few other teams that will likely have an interest in Fiers now that the trade market is smaller. The Milwaukee Brewers were unable to acquire a starting pitcher before the trade deadline. They are counting on right-hander Jimmy Nelson to return, but could certainly reunite with Fiers to help shore up their depleted rotation.

The Pittsburgh Pirates made a surprising move by flipping Austin Meadows and Tyler Glasnow in exchange for Chris Archer. They could use some stability on the back-end however, and Fiers could be a nice fit. Finally, the Washington Nationals have not made any indication whether they plan to contend or sell, but if they want to try to make a push they could also use some back of the rotation stability.

With each team, here are a handful of prospects that the Tigers could theoretically target in an August trade for Fiers:

Oakland: SS Kevin Merrell, 2B Marcos Brito, OF Greg Deichmann

Milwaukee: SS Jean Carmona, 1B Chad McClanahan, C Peyton Henry

Pittsburgh: OF Lolo Sanchez, OF Calvin Mitchell, 1B Mason Martin

Washington: LHP Nick Raquet, INF Jose Sanchez, LHP Tim Cate

Jose Iglesias

Originally, I pegged Milwaukee as a team that could use Jose Iglesias. They went ahead and traded for Jonathan Schoop, who they intend, surprisingly, to use at shortstop. That gives them much less of a need up the middle, and makes it unlikely that they’ll make a push for Iggy.

As fans may remember, it was made very clear by GM Al Avila that Iglesias does not factor into the team’s future. With his contract up at the end of the year, it makes a ton of sense to try to deal him before the August 31 deadline.

Iglesias is actually having his finest offensive season since 2015, slashing .268/.309/.392 with four home runs and a career-high 13 stolen bases. His 3.9% walk rate is bad, but his 9.9% strikeout rate is elite, and his 2.1 fWAR is nearly a career-high in just 103 games.

Still, there are just not very many playoff bound teams who need a middle infielder. Iglesias is owed $2.5 million for the rest of the season, so it’s virtually guaranteed that no team will claim him if/when the Tigers put him on revocable waivers. Once he passes, teams may approach Detroit about acquiring Iglesias to be a utility infielder, a role he would excel at.

Boston may be interested in a reunion with Iglesias after an injury knocked Ian Kinsler out of a recent game. It’s not clear if he will need a DL-stint, but if he does Iglesias could be a fit.

A few names to consider: LHP Jhonathan Diaz, 1B Josh Ockimey, and SS Antoni Flores.

Alex Wilson

Wilson is technically under team control through 2019, but at 31 years old the Tigers would be wise to try to deal him sooner rather than later. He is still owed roughly $701,000 for the rest of this season. While that’s not a ton, it’s likely more than his 4.10 ERA and 5.83 K/9 are worth. As such, teams will likely let him pass through waivers.

If the Tigers are then willing to eat the rest of his contract, they could essentially ‘buy’ a prospect by dealing Wilson and paying his way for the rest of 2018.

Wilson’s poor performance this season will curb his trade value, but his prior success could have a few bullpen needy teams biting. If the Tigers can get even a low-level dart throw type prospect, it’s worth it. Eating Wilson’s contract is a small price to pay to deepen their farm system, and moving Wilson will give the team a chance to try out some of their younger bullpen options (hello Zac Houston).

Detroit Tigers fans may be disappointed that the team only made one trade before the July 31 deadline. However, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the team try to strike one or two more deals before the start of September.