Detroit Tigers: 4 players team should have traded for this offseason

We all know that this year's free agent pool wasn't the greatest, especially if you were looking for a bat. However, the trade market was pretty solid this offseason. Big names like Juan Soto, Chris Sale, and most recently Corbin Burnes were all dealt to new teams this winter.

It wasn't just the big names that got dealt. There were quite a few trades that went down this offseason that included some good players that should help out their new teams. Another recent example, the Mariners acquired reliever Gregory Santos from the White Sox. He's a great arm that should add to an already stacked Seattle bullpen.

Sadly, other than acquiring Mark Canha all the way back in November, the Detroit Tigers didn't bring any new players in via trade. It's not like they didn't have to resources to do it either. Multiple outlets have ranked their farm system in the top five in all of baseball. They had the prospect capital to make a deal happen, but they didn't.

They didn't even have to trade for a star, though that would have been nice. Trading for a solid, quality big leaguer would have done the job.

So today, we're going to go over four players the Tigers should have traded for this offseason. This list will include some players that were traded to other teams, and some players that weren't traded at all.

OF Tyler O'Neill

I've been a big Tyler O'Neill fan for a long time, so when I saw that he and Cardinals' management were at odds last season, I immediately wanted the Tigers to trade for him. He's dealt with some injuries the past couple years, but the talent has always been there.

So when he was shipped off to Boston for pennies on the dollar, you can probably imagine my frustration. O'Neill was traded to the Red Sox for two nothing prospects in Nick Robertson and Victor Santos back on Dec. 8. What's that? You hadn't heard of those guys before now? Don't worry, neither had anybody else.

It was no secret the Cardinals were ready to move on, and he only has one year of control left before he becomes a free agent. It's not surprising that he was traded for scraps. But why couldn't the Tigers have done this? You're telling me they didn't have room for a 28-year-old power hitting outfielder with high upside?

Not only does he hit for power, but he walks a good amount and plays great defense. He's a two-time gold glove winner in the outfield. He could have a Tigers essentially for free, but they didn't want him.

This was second-biggest miss for me this offseason, just behind not acquiring a third baseman. O'Neill is a good player who could have helped the team's pathetic offense. Now we'll likely get to watch him pop off in Boston in 2024.

INF Jorge Polanco

Another player that I wanted the Tigers to trade for, Polanco was to the Seattle Mariners for quite the haul, which was a bit surprising. The Mariners got Polanco in exchange for reliever Justin Topa, outfield prospect Gabriel Gonzalez, starting pitcher Anthony DeSclafani and minor league pitcher Darren Bowen. That's a 4-for-1 deal right there.

Topa is a very good reliever, posting a 2.61 ERA in 75 appearances for Seattle last year. Gonzalez is the 79th best prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline, and DeSclafani is nice innings-eater for the rotation. That's a lot to give up for Polanco, who's a very good offensive-minded infielder.

Polanco, 30, has a career wRC+ of 111 and has slashed .269/.334/.446 for his career. He has a year left on his contract with a club option for 2025, so he essentially has two years of control left. I like Polanco, and I still think he would have helped the Tigers a lot. But had I known it would taken moving a top 100 prospect, a good bullpen arm, and a backend starter to get him, I would have never even suggested it.

It would have taken something like Jace Jung or Kevin McGonigle, Will Vest, and Matt Manning for the Tigers to pull this off.

Wait. I would do this deal. Jung is a good prospect, but not someone I'm in love with. McGonigle is still a few years away. Vest is a solid reliever, but relievers are a dime a dozen. And Manning can't stay healthy, and has been inconsistent when he's on the mound.

Plus, Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry DiPoto is a mad man. This isn't the first time he's moved heaven and earth for someone. Just look at the Luis Castillo trade from a couple years back. If Harris was smart and persuasive with how he negotiated, he could have acquired Polanco for a bit less than what Dipoto paid.

Forget everything I said. The Tigers should have traded for Jorge Polanco. He would have made them better now, and could have put them over the top in an incredibly weak AL Central.

INF Ha-Seong Kim

Yet another player I've wanted the Tigers to trade for for a while now, Kim is the first entry to not get traded this offseason. He was mentioned as a possible trade candidate a few times this offseason as the Padres planned to cut payroll

Kim was a 4.4 fWAR player last season. That's really, really good. He doesn't hit for a ton of power, though he did hit a career-high 17 homers a year ago. What he does do well is get on base and make a ton of contact — the perfect type of hitter for a Scott Harris-bulit baseball team.

His defense is outstanding. He won a Gold Glove last season as a utilityman. He played second, third, and shortstop. The Tigers love positional versatility, and Kim clearly has a lot of it.

Kim is making $7 million this year and is a free agent after the season, though he does have a mutual option for 2025. As a rental, he wouldn't have cost that much to acquire. He just seems like a perfect fit for what the Tigers want.

Who knows? Maybe the Tigers inquired about Kim and the Padres wanted a king's ransom in return. It's possible, but it doesn't seem likely. A.J. Preller is crazy, but he's not Al Avila.

This one truly puzzles me. Kim is a good player who would have been a perfect fit for the team, and could have potentially solved the third base problem.