MLB insider hints Tigers should trade 1 of these 2 young standouts in offseason

Although the Tigers' focus is and should be on the playoffs, there is an offseason quickly approaching that the front office should be strategizing for right now. Whether or not the Tigers make it back to the postseason for the first time in 10 years, and regardless of how good this team has been throughout the second half, there's still work to do to get them out of the gate in 2025.

The bullpen has been fantastic, as the unit has made up for the loss of injured starters, as well as Tarik Skubal getting an extra day of rest between starts. But it's still not an ideal long-term strategy, and the front office will need to look for starters.

First base is still an issue, as it's unclear where exactly the Tigers stand on Spencer Torkelson after his re-arrival in the majors.

Rumors have already started to kick up about a possible AJ Hinch-Alex Bregman reunion in Detroit as Bregman creeps closer to free agency. He would solve what's been a long-standing problem for the Tigers — third base — but Jace Jung has emerged as a possible solution.

Ken Rosenthal had some ideas about how the Tigers should attack the offseason and the trade/free agent market, and they included trading one of Torkelson and Jung (subscription required).

Ken Rosenthal says the Tigers should consider trading Spencer Torkelson or Jace Jung this offseason

Rosenthal posits Pete Alonso and Bregman as possible roster trade-offs for Torkelson and Jung at first and third base. If the Tigers are interested in either (it would definitely be an either/or situation given the cost), that means somebody is getting displaced.

If it had to be either Torkelson or Jung, Tork should be the one to get shipped off. He's been solid (and has gotten some clutch hits) since rejoining the big-league squad, but he's been much too uneven across the last two seasons to say, categorically, that he'll be the Tigers' first baseman for good. If he can help the team finish out the year strong and do something in the playoffs, he could drive is stock up and command a nice return in the offseason.

But all of this is contingent on whether or not the Tigers have actually been swayed to spend. They could go the more conservative route and continue with exactly the lineup they have into 2025 while focusing on the pitching staff ... or they could take a chance and finally give themselves that extra push to really dominate the AL Central next season. While our hopes aren't high for the latter, weirder things — like the Tigers making a run to the postseason after entering August with a losing record — have happened.