Detroit Tigers: 4 Players who could still be traded

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.