Detroit Tigers: Three trades to explore this offseason

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The Detroit Tigers will need to upgrade their roster if they want to compete in 2023

The Detroit Tigers have a lot of work ahead of them this offseason in getting this roster in a competitive state. They will need to cut bait with some of the roster filler they’ve been rocking with for the past few years, and will likely need to open up the wallets again.

But beyond that, the new GM will need to get creative. They’ll have to make some savvy trades—something Al Avila could never do. This will include trading from the Detroit Tigers’ newfound pitching depth and selling high on some prospects that had breakout years in 2022.

We’ve already gone over some possible free agents that the Tigers could sign this offseason. Now it’s time to look at some trades they could pull off.

Trading for Cubs’ OF Ian Happ

TORONTO, ON – AUGUST 31: Ian Happ #8 of the Chicago Cubs hits an RBI single against the Toronto Blue Jays in the first inning at the Rogers Centre on August 31, 2022 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images) /

We’ve wanted the Tigers to trade for Happ for a while now. He’s not a flashy player, but he gets the job done. He’s just a good player—which is exactly what the Detroit Tigers need: good players.

Happ is slashing .278/.351/.458 with 15 homers for the Chicago Cubs this season. The 28-year-old has a career OPS of .806. He’s also having his best season by fWAR at 3.0.

Even better, he’s crushed right-handed pitching throughout his career, having an .831 OPS with 87 of his 102 career home runs coming against righties. The Tigers must improve against right-handed pitching this offseason, and Happ seems like the perfect solution.

Here’s our scenario where the Tigers would acquire Happ from the Cubs:

Happ is a free agent after 2023, so hopefully the Tigers would acquire him with the idea of extending him as well. For the Cubs, Carpenter can fill the hole in the outfield left by Happ and would be significantly cheaper. Madden is a potential future piece of their rotation, and Melton is just kind of throw-in to finish the deal. A win-win for both sides.

Trading for Orioles’ OF Cedric Mullins

HOUSTON, TEXAS – AUGUST 26: Cedric Mullins #31 of the Baltimore Orioles reacts towards the dugout after hitting a single during the first inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on August 26, 2022 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) /

This might be the one where the Tigers have to get the most creative. The Baltimore Orioles have been the biggest surprise in baseball this season, currently sitting at 70-61 and just a game and a half back of the final wild card spot in the American League. They’ve done this despite trading closer Jorge Lopez and their best hitter—and the heart and soul of their team—Trey Mancini, at the trade deadline.

They’ve been led by former top prospect and No. 1 overall pick catcher Adley Rutschman. They’ve also called up other top prospects like Gunnar Henderson to help them make a push for the playoffs. They have a very young team with several emerging hitters.

What they don’t have is a lot of pitching depth. Top pitching prospect Grayson Rodriguez gut hurt earlier this season and will miss the rest of the year. Their starting rotation is being glued together with a bunch of journeyman and a few prospects. Somehow, they’ve held up to this point.

But that won’t cut it in the long term. Baltimore will need to find some real pitching solutions this offseason. GM Mike Elias has already come out and said that they plan on making significant additions to the payroll, so that’s a good start since there will be plenty of arms available on the free agent market.

But why not swing a trade to acquire a young, controllable arm—perhaps from a team that has a surplus of pitching? They just may have to trade one of their better players.

Mullins was an All-Star last season when he slashed .291/.360/.518. He also put up a 30/30 season and had an fWAR of 6.0. He ditched switch-hitting and started batting left-handed only, and it paid off for him. He’s taken a bit of a step back this season, but his fWAR of 2.9 would be more than double the Tigers’ highest WAR player.

Mullins still has three years of control left, so he won’t be cheap. Giving up Manning may seem dumbfounding considering how good he’s been as of late, but their other starting pitching options to be traded (Mize and Skubal) are both injured and out long term. Considering that Baltimore wants to compete next year, the Tigers will have to pay up to get them to part with Mullins.

Reese Olson gets traded again in this scenario. Hopefully this is where he’d catch on and find some fastball command. Graham was just drafted in the second round this year by Detroit and is ranked No. 5 in the Tigers farm system by MLB Pipeline, though that seems a bit high.

This is a hefty price, but if the Detroit Tigers want to have a better offense next season, this is what they’ll have to pay.

Trading for Red Sox 3B Rafael Devers

BOSTON, MA – SEPTEMBER 1: Rafatel Devers #11 of the Boston Red Sox reacts as he scores the game winning run on a walk-off single by Rob Refsnyder #30 during the ninth inning of a game against the Texas Rangers on September 1, 2022 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) /

This would be the ideal trade candidate for the Tigers this offseason. They will likely have a hole at third base with Jeimer Candelario probably getting non-tendered. Devers only has one year left before becoming a free agent, and will only be 26 next season. The Red Sox don’t seem willing to give him an extension, so he could very well be a hot commodity on the trade market this offseason.

Devers would be a huge upgrade at the hot corner, especially offensively. In 2022, he’s slashing .291/.349/.537 with 25 home runs and a 142 wRC+. Defensively, he’s struggled throughout his career with a -11 outs above average. But his OAA was 17 in 2019, and he’s about average at third base this season. He has the ability to be a good defender at the position. For comparison’s sake, Candelario’s OAA this season is -4, but it’s 0 for his career.

The Detroit Tigers would gladly deal with his potentially subpar defense if it meant they had an elite bat. Devers has a career OPS of .854 and has finished in the top 15 in AL MVP voting twice. He’s a fantastic hitter, and the Tigers should explore a trade for him if he becomes available.

Here’s our proposed trade for Rafael Devers:

Even though Devers could just be a one-year rental for the Tigers, they should still acquire him with the idea of extending him, much like the trade proposal for Ian Happ. Devers is an elite hitting talent, so the price will still be hefty.

Some Tigers fans may hate the idea of giving up not one, but two top pitching prospects, but if it meant getting a player as talented as Devers—who could help the team win right now—it would be well worth it.

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