Tigers could make impact trade with Dodgers to address alarming outfield situation

Javy Báez was optimistic about his ankle after needing to be carted off of the field in Tuesday night's Tigers-Braves opener. He attempted a slide into first base on a routine ground ball, but his right foot got caught under his body and he stayed on the ground for some time.

He optimism proved for naught, as he went onto the IL on Wednesday with what AJ Hinch called a "significant" sprain. Parker Meadows and Zach McKinstry's trips to the IL already prompted some fretting over the Tigers' lack of outfield depth, but losing Báez makes the situation all the more dire.

The Tigers opted to call up former top prospect Jace Jung, but should they need another outfielder, they aren't totally without options. We shouldn't anticipate a Max Clark debut anytime soon, but Corey Julks has been hitting the ball well in Toledo. Beyond Julks? Not a lot of assurance. So why not trade for some?

The Dodgers have a minor league outfielder who deserves real major league reps and won't be getting them anytime soon in LA. Ryan Ward is 28 and just made his big league debut — but the delay wasn't for lack of performance. Everyone knows how crowded the Dodgers roster is; their former No. 1 prospect is stuck playing backup to Will Smith for the foreseeable future.

It's clear the Dodgers don't have a plan for Ward, and despite his promise, it probably wouldn't take much to make a deal for him. Even though the Tigers decided to go with an infielder this time around, adding Ward would give the Tigers a lot more peace of mind given how few outfield options they have, and how often their outfielders seem to get hurt.

Tigers could consider a trade for Dodgers top prospect Ryan Ward as outfield depth thins

Ward was never a top prospect before this season (he ranks at No. 19 this year), not even while he was putting up numbers that would make him the 2025 Pacific Coast League MVP (.290/.937 with 36 homers and 122 RBI). The Dodgers added him to their 40-man in the offseason to keep him from leaving in minor league free agency, and he got his MLB debut on April 19 when Freddie Freeman went onto the paternity list.

Ward's first major league hit was an RBI single, and he collected another later in the game. He came in for one more at-bat the next day, but was sent back to Triple-A when Freeman returned.

It was nice for the Dodgers to finally acknowledge an excellent farmhand they've just squirreled away in their system, but there's no way forward for him in LA.

Someone should trade for this guy and give him a real chance — why not the Tigers? He has a little bit of defensive versatility, too (his one major league start was at first base), which Detroit always gravitates to. He wouldn't be a 1-to-1 replacement for Báez, far from it, but it would give the Tigers a far more promising option than the ones they currently have — at least until they're ready to give Clark the nod.

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