Detroit Tigers: 5 players who could be traded

The Detroit Tigers are sellers yet again.

The 2022 Detroit Tigers season has been a bust in just about every way imaginable. The offense has gone AWOL, Spencer Torkelson struggled his way back to Triple-A Toledo, and the starting rotation is a MASH unit.

But, in a cruel twist of irony, the Detroit Tigers boast one of the best bullpens in baseball. Even after a few recent hiccups, Tigers relievers own the 5th best ERA (3.18), 4th best fWAR (4.2), and 3rd best FIP (3.30) in the majors this year.

That’s cold comfort to fans of a team that also has the third-lowest winning percentage in baseball this season, but it should at least make the next week interesting. This year’s trade deadline is August 2nd, and plenty of contenders will be looking to upgrade their bullpen.

So let’s take a look at which Detroit Tigers players are most likely to be moved by next Tuesday.

Detroit Tigers Trade Candidate 1: RHP Michael Fulmer

The 2016 American League Rookie of the Year once looked like the new foundation of Detroit’s rotation. But injuries and a bumpy transition to the bullpen have once again led to the Tigers holding onto a player well past his peak value. Fulmer turned into an elite reliever last year, but he’s taken a step back this year, particularly against lefties, who are hitting .300/.403/.480 against him. Still, Fulmer absolutely shuts down right-handed hitters (.378 OPS), and he has allowed just one home run all season. That should make him an attractive target for plenty of clubs.

Chance to be traded: 90%

Potential fits: Every contender, but specifically Toronto, St. Louis, Seattle, San Diego, and Philadelphia

Detroit Tigers Trade Candidate 2: LHP Andrew Chafin

The Detroit Tigers signed Andrew Chafin to a two-year, $13-million deal this offseason because they thought he would add depth to their bullpen and be a valuable weapon against left-handed hitters. After a bit of a slow start due to a minor injury, Chafin has been exactly what the team wanted.

Through 35 appearances covering 29.2 innings he owns a 2.73 ERA and a strikeout-to-walk rate of 3.89. He has been as advertised against left-handed hitters, holding them to a .600 OPS, but he’s been even better against right-handed batters, keeping them to a .505 OPS.

So why trade him? Unfortunately, Chafin’s contract contains an opt-out clause after year one. He has pitched well enough to take another chance at free agency this offseason, so the Tigers are looking at a situation where they probably need to trade him or risk losing him for nothing.

Chance to be traded: 85%

Potential fits: Every contender, but specifically San Francisco, the New York Mets, Milwaukee, Tampa, and Philadelphia

Detroit Tigers Trade Candidate 4: LHP Gregory Soto

Tigers fans like their closers to be absolutely perfect, and Gregory Soto isn’t that. His strikeout rate is pedestrian, and his relationship with the strike zone can be spotty. But he owns one of the best fastballs in baseball, he has plenty of experience late in games, and he has essentially stopped allowing home runs this year.

It’s unlikely a contender would bring Soto in to be their closer, but he would be a pretty valuable weapon as a power-armed setup man or lefty specialist. Now a two-time All-Star, what makes Soto particularly interesting is his contract status. He has three full years of team control remaining, which means he’s still relatively inexpensive.

Soto figures to be a particularly good fit for teams looking to contend over the next two seasons. The Tigers might think they qualify as one such team, however, so they might be seeking a hefty trade return to part with an inexpensive reliever in his prime. Soto isn’t quite good enough for teams to really pony up, so we think it’s more likely he sticks around for the rest of the year.

Chance to be traded: 40%

Potential fits: San Francisco, the New York Mets, Milwaukee, Tampa, and Philadelphia

Detroit Tigers Trade Candidate 5: LHP Tarik Skubal

There’s been an awful lot of Twitter chatter about how Detroit needs to consider trading Tarik Skubal if they want to acquire the kind of bats they need to compete. That may well be true, but it’s hard to imagine it happening unless the Tigers hire a new GM in the next few days. Skubal is one of the few success stories of this rebuild, and trading him now would essentially kick off a second rebuild.

There’s no doubt Skubal would be coveted on the trade market. He has struggled a bit over the last month, but he remains a left-handed starter with rare velocity, a collection of above-average secondary offerings, and a top-ten FIP. Skubal is also still just 25, and he’s under team control four another four seasons. Teams just don’t trade players like that.

We won’t rule it out completely, but for the Tigers to make a move they would probably need to be blown away by a trade package that includes both quality young big leaguers AND prospects. It seems pretty unlikely.

Chance to be traded: 5%

Potential fits: San Francisco, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Toronto, New York Mets