3 Detroit Tigers prospects who should be traded and 2 who should not

Trading Peyton Graham isn' t the worst idea for Detroit

We just got through mentioning that guys in the lower level minors typically don't carry as much of a premium. That is true, but the Tigers' second round pick in that same 2022 draft, Peyton Graham, requires a different decision calculus. Graham is a very athletic shortstop that can run and hit for a bit of power as well (well, he did in college at least). He may not stick at shortstop long-term and his arm could allow him to play third base, but it is his bat that will determine his future as a big leaguer.

Graham currently plays a premium defensive position at shortstop and does have some projection and upside, but he doesn't look particularly close to the big leagues. With some guys ahead of him in the minors that also play in the infield, what Graham's role with the Tigers could be is in question especially since he is repeating at low-A right now and not hitting very much. Including Graham before he does too much damage to his trade value would allow the Tigers to deal from their area of depth and give whoever gets him a longer term project to develop.

If nothing else, the Tigers should not trade Colt Keith at the deadline

If you have been following the Tigers' minor league system for any length of time, you are probably already aware of Colt Keith by now. Detroit got him in the fifth round of the five round 2020 MLB Draft. Since becoming a professional, all Keith has done is hit and he has managed to blast his way all the way to Triple-A this season. He hits for average, draws plenty of walks, and hits for power. This is the kind of guy that you want at the top of your minor league system.

If the Tigers were a team that could make a deep run in the postseason and were one really good player away from getting there, maybe you could consider trading Keith. However, the Tigers are going to have to get lucky just to get into the postseason and there are not really any players on the trade market that the Tigers should entertain trading Keith for. There is a chance he gets promoted to the big leagues this year and that is probably going to provide more value than most (if any) trades could get them anyways.

Parker Meadows should be used as trade bait by the Detroit Tigers

Finally, we come to Parker Meadows who the Tigers drafted with their second round pick in the 2018 draft. It seems like everyone in the Meadows family is uber-athletic as Parker can really run and made some real progress last year with his swing that let him hit for some power. He has made his way to Triple-A this year where he has put together a respectable .784 OPS with 11 homers in 2023.

The issue with Meadows is that it has taken him a while to finally round into a player of value as a professional. At 23 years old, Meadows is getting to the point where the Tigers have to make a decision on him. The nice thing about trading him is that he could go to a team that needs outfield help soon or to a rebuilding team that wants to stockpile assets for the future. The Tigers don't have an immediate need for an outfielder especially once Riley Greene comes back, so dealing Meadows now that he has rebuilt his value as a prospect gives Detroit a trade chip to help get a lot of different types of deals done.

More Detroit Tigers News from Motor City Bengals