MLB insider wonders what Tigers could get in return for Mark Canha, Jack Flaherty

The Tigers three best trade candidates with less than 30 days until the trade deadline are Jack Flaherty, Mark Canha, and Gio Urshela, and Flaherty is carrying the bulk of the weight there. He's almost certain to get dealt, while Canha and Urshela could probably be kicked in as sweeteners. Tarik Skubal could potentially be on the table if the right (massive) offer were to be put in front of the front office, but we can tentatively guess that feels like a distant possibility, and he'll likely be staying put for now.

The question is how much the Tigers will be able to get for any of these players. A back issue that's been nagging Flaherty has returned, threatening to sink his trade value, and Canha is hitting .040 over his past seven games and probably won't be worth much if he can't get hot quickly.

Former GM turned writer for The Athletic Jim Bowden had some thoughts (as he pretty much always does). In response to a mailbag question about the Flaherty and Canha's value, he wrote, "From a team with an average farm system, I think they could get a top-five prospect and two top-30 prospects" (subscription required).

Jim Bowden of The Athletic believes Tigers could get 1-2 prospects in return for Jack Flaherty, Mark Canha

Bowden's estimate is interesting, given that it's sort of unclear what the Tigers' approach to the deadline is going to be at all. They're so enamored by their young core players — they even have perhaps too much faith in the ones that have been sent down to Triple-A — that acquiring prospects who may be able to supplant them in 1-2 years' time doesn't feel entirely realistic. The postseason is well out of the realm of possibility, so while fans would like to see a few major league-ready bats added, it's hard to say what rentals would do for this team.

Highly-ranked prospects who are still a few years away from the majors is probably most likely course, though. That'll (hopefully) give the Tigers enough time to make a judgment call on the likes of Spencer Torkelson and Parker Meadows, and give players like Kerry Carpenter more of a chance to stop being hurt all the time.

But it all comes down to if Flaherty can stay healthy and if Canha can get better. If neither of those things happen, one top five prospect might not even be in the cards.