Detroit Tigers: 3 trades to explore this offseason

Trading for Red Sox 3B Rafael Devers

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.