Detroit Tigers: 4 potential Robbie Grossman trade destinations

The Detroit Tigers are playing their best baseball of the season, and outfielder Robbie Grossman has been a big reason why. Grossman has homered three times his last seven games, and his 1.040 OPS in July is among the best in baseball.

Robbie Grossman’s hot streak is certainly well-timed from the Tigers’ perspective, too, as he is one of their few legitimate trade chips heading into next Friday’s deadline. We’ve already looked at potential trade options for Michael Fulmer and Jonathan Schoop, so let’s see what the club could get for their veteran outfielder.

It’s possible the Tigers hold onto Grossman at the deadline. Detroit General Manager Al Avila spoke with the media earlier this week and made it clear the team is done rebuilding:

“At this point, we’re trying to get players,” Avila said. “We’re trying to get better. Right now, we have no pressure at all to make any trades. … We’re on the upswing. We’re actually hoping to acquire players at some point, where and when it makes sense. We have no pressure to make any trades or move any salary. From a payroll perspective, we’re in a good shape.”

Robbie Grossman may well be part of a plan to compete in 2022, but that doesn’t mean the Tigers shouldn’t listen to offers. And it doesn’t mean we can’t speculate on what those offers could be.

Robbie Grossman’s Value

Robbie Grossman had never really been an everyday player until this season. He always showed a broad array of fringe-average to average skills, but he lacked the defensive ability to be a regular center fielder, and his power was too light to profile in a corner.

But Grossman made a swing change in 2020 that has seemingly unlocked his raw power. His 15 home runs this season are already a career high, and he also has a career-high 12 stolen bases, to go along with career-best walk rate and perfectly acceptable outfield defense.

In short, Robbie Grossman looks like an average MLB regular. That doesn’t sound like much, but as we said on the most recent Tigers Minor League Report podcast, average is good. And for any team with a multi-year need, he’s signed through 2022 on a very reasonable contract.

Projected fWAR for 2021 based on ZiPS, 2022 based on last year of production.

Grossman isn’t a slugger who comes in and bashes a team to the pennant, or a gold glover who takes over in center field and makes the whole outfield better. But he does just enough to get a team an extra win or two down the stretch, and that can be the difference for a contender.

We estimate Grossman would provide $8-12 million in surplus value to an acquiring team. To FanGraphs that means he should bring something like a low-end 50FV prospect or and 45+ FV prospect. That feels a bit rich given the relative availability of outfielders, and the fact Atlanta recently landed Joc Pederson for a single 40+FV prospect in Bryce Ball. That seems like a more realistic target.

So what would like that look like for the Detroit Tigers? Hit the jump to find out.

Robbie Grossman Trade Destination 1: New York Yankees

The New York Yankees are one of the hottest teams in baseball right now, but they’re still a handful of games out of the final Wild Card spot in the American League. One of their biggest weaknesses is in the outfield, where Aaron Judge has been outstanding, but he’s currently on the Covid IL. Brett Gardner has gamely filled in at center field, but his days of being a solid offensive player seem to be over. The club recently traded for speedy outfielder Tim Locastro, but he’s one of five outfielders currently injured. The Yankees desperately need some stability, and Robbie Grossman could provide that for both this year and next.

The Yankees have a handful of interesting infield prospects in their system, but we’re assuming Oswald Peraza and Anthony Volpe are off limits in any Grossman deal. Diego Castillo is a 23-year-old native of Venezuela who plays third base, second base, and shortstop, but probably fits best at second base. He has always shown terrific control of the strike zone (if not a terribly patient approach), and this year he has started to drive the ball in the air more — he has 17 doubles and 11 home runs. Former LSU infielder (and 2016 Tigers draft pick) Josh Smith would be another interesting option.

Robbie Grossman Trade Destination 2: New York Mets

The New York Mets just traded away Billy McKinney, who was their 3rd best outfielder by fWAR, so perhaps they aren’t in the market for another outfielder…but they probably should be. Brandon Nimmo, Michael Conforto, and Dominic Smith are a solid core, but Grossman’s ability to hit from both sides of the plate and handle all three outfield spots make him an ideal 4th outfielder who could step into the lineup when there’s an injury. And he could be a solid, inexpensive replacement for 2022 if Conforto leaves in free agency.

Jose Butto and Jaylen Palmer are both high-risk prospects, but for completely different reasons. Butto is a changeup artist with a fringy breaking ball and a fastball with good characteristics but below-average velocity. He doesn’t offer much in the way of projection, but there’s a good chance he develops into a solid swingman or number 5 starter. Jaylen Palmer is a raw 21-year-old with a collection of interesting tools who is currently batting .278/.379/.388 with 22 steals in Low-A ball. He’s lanky and projects to above-average power if he can hit enough, and he has seen time at shortstop, third base, and the outfield.

Robbie Grossman Trade Destination 4: Toronto Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays are undoubtedly one of the most exciting teams in baseball, but most of that excitement comes from the team’s dynamic young infielders. Teoscar Hernandez is a quality big leaguer, and George Springer is finally playing on a regular basis, but Randal Grichuk, Lourdes Gurriel, and Jonathan Davis are all flawed players. Grossman would provide Toronto with another dependable top-of-the-order hitter to get on base for Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and his extra year of control would buy the Blue Jays some time to develop outfielders. Toronto is also pretty desperate for relief help, so perhaps the Tigers could fill that need for them too.

In Cisnero the the Blue Jays would be getting a power-armed reliever with late-inning experience and multiple years of team control. Toronto doesn’t have many outfielders in their farm system, but they are absolutely lousy with interesting young infielders. A 4th-round pick in 2017, Kevin Smith was a bit of a pop-up prospect after producing a 25-25 season in 2018. But he struggled mightily in 2019, to the point he went unprotected and undrafted in the Rule 5 last winter. But he’s having a spectacular season so far in Triple-A, batting .289 with 16 home runs, 11 steals, and career best strikeout and walk rates, all while playing a solid shortstop. Miguel Hiraldo is a sturdy 20-year-old holding his own in Low-A ball. He has a long way to go, but he has a chance to be an above-average hitter with above-average power while playing second or third base.