3 reasons why the Detroit Tigers need to stand pat at the trade deadline

2 of 3

The Detroit Tigers are in a strange position at the moment. Usually when a team is nine games below .500 in the first half, it is pretty clear indication that a team needs to at least strongly consider being a seller at the trade deadline and look to the future. However, the Tigers play in the AL Central and that changes everything this year.

Despite the fact that the Tigers haven't been particularly good this season, they are just 4.5 games back of the division leading Minnesota Twins who are sitting at .500 and are in the middle of a series against the Atlanta Braves who have been thrashing everyone lately. Moreover, the Tigers have been playing pretty well lately as they are 6-4 in their last 10 games.

Being on the fringe of contending for a single playoff spot as the AL wild card appears to be out of reach is a really tricky position to be in. Pushing in and going for it this season may not accomplish anything at all while costing the team prospects they may need for the future. However, letting a prime opportunity to make the playoffs get completely ignored doesn't seem correct either.

Fortunately, there is a third option.

Here is why the Tigers need to stand pat at the trade deadline

Standing pat at the trade deadline is, weirdly, something that Detroit needs to consider. Normally, doing nothing at the deadline is not the correct path whatsoever for most teams. However, there are 3 specific things about the Tigers' situation that lends credence to the idea that that is exactly what they should do.

The prospect cost for the Tigers would be too high to make a difference this season

The problem the Tigers have is that, at present, this is a very flawed roster. The offense is a bottom five unit in all of baseball by fWAR and the pitching staff hasn't been much better. Again, it is already kind of a miracle that the Tigers are within spitting distance of the lead in the division at all.

As a result, the types of guys that Detroit would need to add at the trade deadline are the really high impact names and those guys are going to be both expensive and in high demand. If we are being honest with ourselves, it is probably going to take more than one impact move to move the needle and that is where things get sticky.

Any trade deadline this year that involves adding multiple impact players is likely to basically clean out the Tigers farm system. If you think that teams are not going to basically demand Colt Keith, one of the more exciting hitting prospects in all of baseball this year, for any of the higher end guys on the trade market that aren't relievers, you are delusional.

If the Tigers were in first place with a lead or if they were just one bat or one bullpen arm away, it would be a different story. However, the roster would also be in much better shape in those hypotheticals. Standing pat should keep Detroit hanging around while not mortgaging their future. It may not work out, but it doesn't really cost them anything that they were expecting from this season if it doesn't.

The AL Central is bad, but the Tigers are playing from behind

We touched on this before, but it is a given that the AL Central is a bad division this year with none of the teams being particularly scary. The Twins pitching staff is legitimately good, but their offense is very poor especially with Carlos Correa turning into a pumpkin this season. The Guardians have a middling pitching staff to go along with a poor offense. As for the bottom dwellers, the White Sox have been one of the league's biggest disappointments this season and the Royals are the second-worst team in all of baseball behind Oakland.

All of those sound like reasons for the Tigers to go for it, but the problem is that the Tigers are not in the driver's seat here. Detroit has to make up 4.5 games on a Twins team that has more motivation and cause to go for it at the deadline. Even if the Tigers decide to be buyers, the Twins are for sure going to be buying, too. Any gains the Tigers make at the deadline are likely to be matched by what Minnesota does.

That said, keeping those ahead of them in the division honest seems like the smart play. The Twins and Guardians are flawed enough that if the Tigers just keep doing what they are doing right now, they could catch them anyways. If they trade off guys like Eduardo Rodriguez, that plan becomes a lot tougher. This isn't the ideal plan if you care a lot about draft position, but this gives Detroit a chance in a bad division without making bad bets.

The Tigers have enough players returning from injury to give them their own private trade deadline

We touched on this over the weekend so we won't dwell long here, but the Tigers potentially have a bunch of solid players returning from injury at various points over the next couple of months. Riley Greene is the name that obviously comes to mind, but real talent on both sides of the ball is currently on the IL. While not all of them are locks to return, a lot of them should be coming back pretty soon.

That puts Detroit in the unique position of having their own private trade deadline without having to trade any prospects. I know, I know...the "it is like making a trade without making a trade" thing is a meme reserved for corny broadcasters, but in the Tigers' case, it is pretty true. The Tigers can do literally nothing at the deadline and still improve their roster in the coming months. After that, we will see where things stand at the end of the season.

More Tigers News from Motor City Bengals

manual

Home / Detroit Tigers News