Detroit Tigers: 2 prospects who could be traded this offseason, 1 who should be untouchable

Two prospects who could be traded: OF Parker Meadows

Meadows was recently added to the 40-man roster to be protected from the Rule 5 Draft. Everyone figures he's in the Tigers' long term plans, but is he really?

Meadows is a former second-round pick back in 2018. He was always considered a project, being drated out of high school, but through the 2021 season, he hadn't really developed at all. He was very athletic, but he had little power and struck out a ton. It looked like he was a bust. He had become an afterthought in the prospect world.

That all changed in 2022, when the power finally came on and the strikeouts finally went down. Meadows hit 20 homers and put up a 124 wRC+ in the minors last year, while lowering his strikeout rate to 18.4% in Double-A. He tweaked his swing in the offseason, and it paid off. He has put himself back in the conversation amongst Tigers fans.

Because of this, Meadows' trade value has theoretically never been higher. He's coming off his best season, and while he's getting up there in age for a prospect at 23 years old, he's still got the tools and now a reworked swing that could make him a legit big leaguer.

You may ask yourself why the Detroit Tigers would trade someone that finally started developing last season, especially in a system so barren of hitting talent? Well, if they can maximize his value in a trade for a player that would make the major league roster better, it would be hard to say no.