Detroit Tigers: Who should they protect on the 40-man roster?

Trading for a spot

The Detroit Tigers have a handful of players that they should look to trade this offseason. Two relievers in particular, Alex Wilson and Blaine Hardy, seem like prime trade candidates based on their age, salary and how they performed last year.

Hardy had one of the strongest seasons of his career last year, making 30 appearances (13 starts) and posting a 3.56 ERA with a 1.17 WHIP. He is 31-years-old however, and does not project to be a part of Detroit’s future. His low strikeout totals and uneven track record will curb his trade value, but if Detroit can trade him for a lottery ticket prospect or two, ones who don’t need 40-man protection, they’ll kill two birds with one stone.

Wilson is in a similar boat, although he has had more success up to this point in his career than Hardy. He is also more expensive, with an expected $2.8M salary through arbitration. Still, if Detroit can ship him for a couple lower level prospects, it would help them clear a spot to protect one of their prospects.

There are a few other potential trade candidates, like Matthew Boyd, Nicholas Castellanos and Shane Greene, but the return on those would likely net Detroit a prospect worthy of a 40-man spot, so they probably won’t happen until after tonight’s deadline.