Detroit Tigers: 3 buy-low trade candidates to help out the offense

OF Joey Gallo- New York Yankees

We’ve went down this rabbit hole before. The Detroit Tigers need power, and Gallo is certainly capable of that. However, he’s looked like a shell of his former self ever since he put on the pinstripes.

Gallo is still hitting the ball hard and hitting the ball in the air at a 40% clip. He’s also still walking at almost a 15% rate, and he’s not striking out any more than he usually does. So what gives?

Well, it seems as if for whatever reason, he’s letting the short porch in Yankee Stadium get to him. His pull rate of 51.6% is by far the highest of any of his full seasons played. It seems as if he’s making a conscious effort to make use of the short 314-foot distance down the right field line, when he doesn’t really need to do that.

We all know the kind of raw power Gallo possesses. Rarely are any of his homers wall scrapers. When he gets a hold of one, it goes a long, long way.

He’s also taken a huge step back defensively this season, ranking in the 12th percentile in outs above average according to Baseball Savant. Gallo is a two-time Gold Glover in the outfield. It really seems like he’s letting his struggles at the plate follow him into the field.

The case of Joey Gallo seems like one of a player that can’t handle the pressure of playing in New York. We see this happen all the time. A recent example is Sonny Gray. Gray was really solid for the most part with the Oakland A’s, then he got traded to the Yankees in 2017 and he wasn’t the same. This all culminated in him smiling when he walked off the field while getting booed after one of his final starts in the Bronx.

Gray was traded to the Cincinnati Reds that offseason and immediately went back to his old self, becoming an All-Star in 2019. The fan and media pressure of New York is unlike any other in sports. Players are constantly under a microscope, and some guys just can’t handle that pressure.

If Gallo were to get traded to the Tigers, he would be coming to a non-competitive team with no expectations for the rest of the year. There’s no expectation of winning. The media here in Detroit is nothing like it is in New York. Gallo can simply focus on finding his groove again.

Yes, it’s possible that his three-true outcome approach at the plate has caused an early decline at age 28. To completely deny that would be silly. But trading for Gallo likely wouldn’t cost much since he’s a free agent at the end of the year. The Yankees are said to want a corner outfielder as part of the return. They can have Robbie Grossman.

The last time we suggested the Tigers could trade for Gallo, it did not go over well with fans, and that’s understandable. But they need to try something to get this offense going. If they acquire Gallo and are able to get him going again, it could end up being a steal. If not, at least they tried.

OF Mitch Haniger- Seattle Mariners

One of the most underrated what-ifs in recent baseball history is if Mitch Haniger could have stayed healthy. He’s always showed the ability to be a slugging corner outfielder, but health has been his biggest obstacle.

He was an All-Star in 2018 when he slashed .285/.366/.493 with 26 homers. But on June 6, 2019, Haniger suffered one of the more bizarre injuries in recent memory when he fouled a ball off his groin area and ruptured one of his testicles. This caused him to miss the rest of the 2019 season and the shortened-2020 season as well.

But in 2021, Haniger popped off, smashing a career high 39 dingers. Somehow, he was not an All-Star last season.

Unfortunately, this season has been more of the same for Haniger in regards to his health. He played nine games this year before suffering a high ankle sprain that has kept him out ever since. He’s currently on a rehab assignment, so he should be returning soon.

The question simply becomes, where does Haniger fit onto this Mariners’ roster? Jesse Winker, acquired from Cincinnati in the offseason, along with the return of Kyle Lewis and the emergence of superstar Julio Rodriguez have clogged up the outfield. He could be their DH, but they recently acquired Carlos Santana from the Royals to serve in that role. It seems as if Haniger may no longer have a spot with Seattle.

Like Joey Gallo on this list before him, Haniger is a free agent at the end of the year, which should make him easier to trade for. However, he is a bit older at 31 years old. What makes Gallo and Dom Smith intriguing to acquire is that they are on the right side of 30, so they still have some prime years left. That may not be the case for Haniger, although the 39 home runs a year ago suggest he may have something left in the tank.

If the Detroit Tigers do pull the trigger on a trade for Haniger, the two months he’s with the team before he’s a free agent will be crucial for him. He may have to settle for a one-year prove-it deal in the offseason. If he’s still the player he was last season, this could also be a steal for the Tigers.