Tigers could consider deadline reunion with third baseman they gave up on too soon

AJ Hinch told reporters earlier this week that the Tigers will be trying something new: Colt Keith at third base. He's taken a journey around the infield already this season, having started the year at first base and then moved to second as Spencer Torkelson got better and Gleyber Torres went onto the IL. But he's been DH'ing a lot as of late.

Hinch wants to "maximize the roster," and getting Keith onto the field more regularly along with steady at-bats definitely seems like a way to do that. With Andy Ibáñez back in Triple-A, there could be more opportunities to start at third.

Keith does have some minor league experience at the hot corner, and he came in as a substitute there for a single inning on Thursday. It'll be interesting to see how the experiment plays out, but if it doesn't, the Tigers could turn their attention toward a potential seller and a former Tiger at the trade deadline.

Eugenio Suárez only played in 85 games in Detroit before he was traded to the Reds in 2014, but he's become a steady veteran bat through the 11 intervening years. The Diamondbacks are sitting at .500 through June 5 and fourth place in the NL West. If they're selling at the deadline (which they might after it was revealed Corbin Burnes needs Tommy John surgery), the Tigers could take him on as a rental for a potential playoff push.

Tigers could consider a trade for former 3B Eugenio Suárez if Diamondbacks are selling at the deadline

Suárez is batting .232 with a .815 in Arizona this year and became only the 19th player in MLB history to have four-homer night on April 26. He's far from an elite defensive third baseman, but he would give the Tigers' lineup some extra pop, and even if Keith is doing well at third base, they could bring Suárez on to DH through the rest of the season.

Spencer Torkelson has sort of remedied the Tigers' need for a righty power bat — but it couldn't hurt to add another. And not only is Suárez still mashing, he'll also be affordable by the deadline, as a potential buying team would only have to pay out whatever's left of the $15 million he's owed this year before he hits free agency.

The Tigers probably have some regrets about dealing Suárez, as they've struggled to find a true, consistent third baseman in the years since he was traded. Even though he'd only be a rental, if the Tigers were to pull off a trade for him, they could right an old wrong in their effort to make a World Series push.