Detroit Tigers: 1 trade candidate from every MLB team to consider

Everyone loves trades, unless you were a Detroit Tigers fan from Aug. 4, 2015 — Aug. 10, 2022, then you probably can't stand them. Nevertheless, trade scenarios are always a great conversation piece.

Today, we're going to give you 29 conversation pieces. We went through the rosters of every MLB team to identify one ppayer the Tigers should trade for from each team. Some were much easier than others.

We're going to keep the intro short since we have a lot to get to, so let's get started. We're going to go by division, starting with the American League East.

AL East

Baltimore Orioles: Cedric Mullins

The Orioles are looking for pitching this offseason. The Tigers have pitching they can offer. Mullins is expendable because the Orioles have a ton of young outfield prospects, and he has two more years of arbitration left. You know the Orioles are going to want to save a pretty penny.

The trade for Mark Canha makes this a little less viable, but Mullins would be a clear upgrade, especially defensively, in the outfield. Having him in the oufield would allow Riley Greene to DH for the first part of the season as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery.

Boston Red Sox: Alex Verdugo

Another left-handed outfielder, Verdugo fits what the Tigers want to do offensively. He's a high-contact, low-strikeout guy who rarely chases. With one year of control left, he wouldn't cost a lot and would give the Tigers a quality bat in the outfield for the 2024 season.

New York Yankees: Austin Wells

Wells is a catching prospect for the Yankees. Even though the Tigers picked up the club option on Carson Kelly, he's only here for another year. The Tigers don't have much catcher depth in the minors besides Dillon Dingler, so he could be a name to watch for sure.

Tampa Bay Rays: Yandy Diaz

Diaz could be one of the best bats available on the trade market this offseason. He's coming off a .300/.400/.500 season with a 164 wRC+. He was one of the best hitters in the league this season.

He could fill a void at third base for the Tigers. The Rays are always looking to save some cash, and they always seem to have someone ready to step up and fill in. He may cost a bit in terms of prospects, but this could be a move to put the Tigers' offense over the top.

Toronto Blue Jays: Cavan Biggio

Biggio has seemingly been on the trade block for a while now. He has a career walk rate just shy of 14%, but also has a strikeout rate just shy of 27%. He won't chase a lot, but he will swing and miss. The contact ability needs some work, but the plate discipline is there.

His defense is not great, but they can work with him on that. He shouldn't cost too much to acquire.

AL Central

Chicago White Sox: Yoan Moncada

It would be shocking if the White Sox didn't blow it up this offseason. It is an organization that needs a hard reset. Everyone should be available.

Moncada is the former No. 1 prospect in baseball. He's never quite lived up to that hype, but he's had some pretty good seasons. 2019 was his best, as he hit 25 home runs with a 139 wRC+ and a 5.5 fWAR.

Other than a solid 2021 season, he hasn't really reached those heights since. The biggest reason for that is that he has forgotton how to walk. His walk rate is just over 6% the last two years, and it was hovering around 13% in 2020 and 2021. His strikeout rate was 30% last year as well, which was even more alarming.

He has one year left on his contract with a club option for 2025. Moncada has been good in the past, plus he is a switch-hitter. He could fill the Tigers' hole at third base. This could be a low-risk, high-reward kind of move.

Cleveland Guardians: Josh Naylor

It was hard to find a trade candidate for Cleveland, mostly because they're roster isn't very good. By far their best trade asset is Shane Bieber, but there's no way Cleveland trades him within the division.

Naylor is a high-contact guy who hits for a good amount of power as well. He's a bit positionless defensively. The Guardians have stuck him at first base after experimenting with him in the outfield, so the Tigers would definitely acquiring him for his bat.

It might take a lot for Cleveland to move one of its best hitters, but they also might be moving toward a rebuild. He's a name to watch.

Kansas City Royals: Edward Olivares

Another team with a bad roster that was hard to find a trade candidate, Olivares has decent power numbers. He's been an above-average hitter the last two years. He wouldn't be a bad get.

Minnesota Twins: Trevor Larnach

I've been a big fan of Larnach for a couple years now. He's big guy who's looking to do one thing and one thing only — hit bombs.

He's very much a three-true-outcome hitter. He walks quite a bit, but also strikes out in over 1/3 of his plate appearances. He's also struggled with injuries throughout his career.

He doesn't grade out amazing defensively, but he has a great arm, so he wouldn't be a liability in the outfield. He could be a low-cost acquisition.

NL East

Atlanta Braves: Vaughn Grissom

The Tigers were rumored to be interested in Grissom around the trade deadline. He's just 22 years old still and has showed some promise. They would have to find a position for him since shortstop is probably out of the cards for multiple reasons, but he's athletic enough to where that shouldn't be too much of an issue.

Miami Marlins: A.J. Puk

Another lefty bullpen target, Puk is coming off his best year in terms of fWAR (0.9). He struck out over 12 per nine had a walks per nine just north of 2, a career low. The home runs were high, which explains the somewhat elevated 3.97 ERA, but the stuff is clearly there. Puk would be a great lefty option in the Tigers bullpen.

New York Mets: Pete Alonso

Alonso is probably the biggest name on this list. Admittedly, there weren't very many good options on the Mets, so we're going with someone who is rumored to be on the move.

Alonso has two years on control left. His fielding isn't great, but he's better than Tork right now. Obviously, the bat is what you would be acquiring him for. Just imagine him and Tork in the same lineup. Now that's some serious thump.

Philadelphia Phillies: Johan Rojas

Rojas is a young outfielder who had a 1.4 fWAR in just 59 games for the Phillies this season. He has a high-contact approach and plays outstanding defense. He doesn't hit for a lot of power, but he's proven to be useful during his short time in the big leagues.

Washington Nationals: Lane Thomas

The Nats are another team that don't have a good roster, so finding a trade candidate here was difficult. We went with Thomas because he's coming a solid season in which he hit 28 home runs with a 109 wRC+ and a 2.7 fWAR.

It seems like he's sold out for more power over the last couple of years. He used to walk a lot more than he does now. He's got two more years of team control left. If the Nats are willing to move him, Scott Harris should give Mike Rizzo a call.

NL Central

Chicago Cubs: Patrick Wisdom

Wisdom is also a three-true-outcome hitter. He is entering arbitration for the first time in his career, and has three years of team control left.

The Cubs are team that could be big spenders this offseason, especially after poaching manager Craig Counsell from the Brewers. They could look to upgrade at third base, which could make Wisdom expendable.

Cincinnati Reds: Jonathan India

India's name has been all over the trade rumor mill. It really feels like he's going to get moved this offseason.

He's a former rookie of the year who has struggled with injuries and inconsistency over the past two years. If the Tigers can unlock the 2021 version of him, he could be a great acquisition.

Milwaukee Brewers: Willy Adames

Rumor has it that the Brewers are willing to listen to offers on pretty much everyone on their roster. Ken Rosenthal reported that a few days ago. While we would love for the Tigers to go after someone like Corbin Burnes, the Brewers are likely to ask for the moon for him in return.

Instead, we'll take a look at former Tigers prospect Willy Adames. He's coming off a down year with the bat, hitting .217 with a 94 wRC+, but his defense was so good that he was still worth 3.4 fWAR.

He was one more year left on his deal, so he may just be a rental. He's also a shortstop, so unless the Tigers plan on moving Javier Baez to second base, they'd have to find another spot for him. But he would an interesting add, for sure.

Pittsburgh Pirates: Mitch Keller

The first starting pitcher on the list, Keller has slowly gotten better over the last few years. He pitched a career-high 194.1 innings this past year, which is something you don't see a whole lot anymore.

The Pirates have a long history of trading guys before they get too expensive. He's got two years of team control left, so the Tigers would get him for two years to figure out whether or not they want to give him an extension.

Scott Harris has said the Tigers are looking for pitching this offseason, and Keller could be a nice trade candidate.

St. Louis Cardinals: Tyler O'Neill

If you've been following my work for a while, you know I'm a big fan of Tyler O'Neill. He's fallen out of favor in St. Louis and has one year left on his deal. He's in desparate need of a change of scenery, and the Cardinals are in desparate need of pitching.

Get on the phone, Scott. Send them Spencer Turnbull for O'Neill.

NL West

Arizona Diamondbacks: Dominic Fletcher

The National League champions have a ton of young outfield depth. The Tigers were rumored to be interested in Alek Thomas around the trade deadline, but after the postseason he had, Arizona may not be as willing to deal him. Plus, he's essentially Parker Meadows at home.

Fletcher is a bit different. He's shorter and more contact-oriented. He'd be a nice little piece to the team.

Colorado Rockies: Ryan McMahon

McMahon has been a below average hitter his entire career, but that's because of his strikeout rate and the fact that he plays in Coors Field. wRC+ adjusts for the home ballpark a hitter plays in.

McMahon may strike out a bunch, but he also hits for a good amount of power. He'll walk a decent amount as well. He's also an elite defender at third base. The Rockies signed him to an extension a couple years ago, but they proved with the Nolan Arenado trade that that doesn't necessarily matter.

Los Angeles Dodgers: Michael Busch

It's hard to find someone on the Dodgers roster they would realisically trade, so we're going with a prospect in Michael Busch. At 26 years old, he's a bit older for a prospect, but that's because he's stuck in a log jam. When you have Mookie Betts playing a lot of second base, it's going to be hard for another one to crack the roster.

He finally got a cup of coffee this season, and while it didn't go very well, he still has a lot of promise. The Dodgers don't really have a spot for him, so he seems like a trade perfect candidate.

San Diego Padres: Ha-Seong Kim

Another guy I've liked for a while, Kim could be moved as part of a Padres firesale this offseason. He fits what the Tigers like: good plate discipline, good contact skills, and elite defense.

He's coming off a 4.4 fWAR season. I personally would love the Tigers to go out and get him.

San Francisco Giants: Mason Black

I thought about J.D. Davis here as a stop gap infielder, but the Tigers can probably do better. Instead, our last trade candidate will be another prospect in pitcher Mason Black.

Black has nasty stuff, but he needs to work on the command a little bit. The Tigers have proved that they can develop pitching, so this would be a great project.