5 Tigers players that are the most likely to get traded at the trade deadline

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While the Detroit Tigers are playing in the worst division in baseball at the moment, things are still looking pretty grim for their playoff chances. They are currently 11 games below .500 and haven't been playing particularly well going into the All-Star break.

There is still a chance that they could make a run coming out of the break that could change their fortunes pretty quickly. Again, the AL Central is pretty terrible and the Tigers are only 5.5 games back despite their record and -86 run differential. If they put together a win streak and can get guys back from the injured list soon, selling at the deadline may make less sense.

However, we are talking about some pretty long odds at this point because all of the underlying information here points to the Tigers just not being a good baseball team just yet. Assuming that holds in the early days of the second half, we should see the Tigers start shifting more into selling mode.

Here are the Tigers players that could get traded at the trade deadline

Assuming a world where the Tigers do indeed sell at the trade deadline, that doesn't mean this is going to be a fire sale. The Tigers have a number of players with a lot of team control and potential that they aren't going to shop around. However, they do have some guys that fit in the rental market as well as as bullpen targets at the trade deadline that could help them add depth for the future.

Lets take a look at the Tigers players that are the most likely to get traded at the trade deadline.

The Detroit Tigers could very well trade All-Star Michael Lorenzen

With other candidates on the shelf with injury, Michael Lorenzen was chosen as an All-Star in 2023. We had some fun with that here at MCB, but Lorenzen has pitched pretty well with Detroit this season with a 4.04 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 87 innings. A big drop in his walk rate has helped him a lot this season and while he isn't a prototypical All-Star pitcher, he has done good work for Detroit this year in the rotation.

While Lorenzen has been very solid for the Tigers, he should be available at the deadline. The Tigers are going to start getting more starting pitchers back from the IL and Lorenzen would be in demand as a guy whose contract is up at the end of the 2023 season and isn't owed a ton of money.

As for teams that could be interested, there are a number of organizations that are looking for starters and that points to a sellers' market here. The Orioles, Red Sox, Reds, Cardinals, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, and Giants all make varying degrees of sense.

Eduardo Rodriguez remains a top trade deadline candidate for the Tigers

It seems like Eduardo Rodriguez has been rumored as a guy that could get moved at the trade deadline since the 2023 season started. Rodriguez had been one of the better pitchers in the American League in the first half before he went on the IL with a finger injury.

The allure here is pretty obvious. In a market that is lacking in quality starting pitchers, the Tigers have Rodriguez who is probably a rental if he pitches well as he is likely to not exercise his player option if he pitches well and should test free agency. He did not pitch well in his first start back, though, so teams may be a bit wary.

The same list of teams for Lorenzen would apply here. The Orioles, Red Sox, and Diamondbacks in particular could be good trade partners here. The player option does mess up the trade valuations a little bit, but Detroit is going to be getting a lot of calls on Rodriguez.

Jason Foley could be a very attractive option on the reliever trade market

We have reached the relievers portion of our list and we will start with Jason Foley. Foley has been quite good for Detroit this season with a 2.02 ERA in 38 appearances. The nice thing about Foley is that unlike a lot of the guys that will be available at the deadline, Foley isn't even going to be eligible for arbitration until after the 2024 season.

The amount of team control Foley has could work both ways here. On one hand, getting multiple years of a quality bullpen arm will command a premium and could tempt the Tigers to move him. However, the Tigers do expect to compete in the next couple of years and giving up a cheap, quality bullpen arm as they are expecting to enter their window isn't a given.

The Tigers' Jose Cisnero may be one of the top rental relievers available at the trade deadline

One reliever that doesn't have the same level of team control that Foley has is Jose Cisnero as he will be a free agent at the end of the season. Cisnero has put together a pretty decent season for the Tigers with a 3.44 ERA in 38 appearances. It has been nice to see that he has gotten the walks more under control this season and that should add to his value at the deadline.

At 34 years old and a rental, the Tigers can't realistically expect a huge return for Cisnero. However, he is a guy that is a free agent at the end of the season and if Detroit can get some minor league depth for him...they should.

Detroit could get a nice haul for Alex Lange

Finally, we come to Tigers reliever Alex Lange who is a tricky case because he has a ton of team control and exciting stuff, but his command can be all over the place. He is striking out guys at a quality 11.54 K/9 rate which is exactly what you want to see from a high leverage reliever. Having that experience in the ninth inning certainly helps his case with teams as well.

It does feel like Detroit would move Lange as he isn't a surefire future closer on a good team, but it also doesn't feel like they will just take whatever they can get for him. Being under team control through 2027 and possessing the ability to miss bats like he does should understandably come with a pretty high price tag.

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