Tigers should target these 2 AL Central stars via trade to take massive leap in 2025

Could the Detroit Tigers look toward their struggling division rivals for some help? Might those division rivals be interested in making a deal because of the Tigers' flush farm system? It's worth wondering.

The Twins' late-season collapse this year is still baffling. Although no one was ever going to truly challenge the Guardians for control over the AL Central and the Twins were, at times, battling the Royals for second place, Minnesota's place in the Wild Card round seemed all but guaranteed until September, when they went 9-18 over the last month of regular season play.

Their collapse coincided perfectly with the Tigers' ascent. Detroit was still in fourth place as late as Sept. 21, but they catapulted to second (tied with the Royals) as the Twins dropped seven out of eight games in that last week while the Tigers won five of seven.

It seemed to be the final straw for Twins' ownership, and chairman Joe Pohlad announced his intention to shop the team in the offseason, ending the third-longest tenure in current baseball ownership. It signaled massive shakeups in store for the Twins from top to bottom.

Then there were the White Sox, a hopeless case if there ever was one. Jerry Reinsdorf (the second-longest tenured owner in baseball) also announced his openness to selling the team, but it was pretty much a foregone conclusion that they would be sellers during the offseason anyway.

If both the Twins and the White Sox are going to be open-minded about trades this offseason, there may be a world in which the Tigers could capitalize on their foes' misfortunate and target two of their stars: Carlos Correa and Garrett Crochet.

Tigers Rumors: Carlos Correa, Garrett Crochet possible trade targets?

Twins PoBO Derek Falvey has said that the Twins plan to keep Correa, who will be making $36 million next season, but the team would also stay open to opportunities. It's almost guaranteed that Crochet is going to move, and the Dodgers and Orioles are already clamoring again after not being able to make a deal at the trade deadline.

The Tigers do have the prospect capital to make a trade for either or both. Although they would be loathe to give up some of their top prospects as an organization that's so development-heavy, getting Correa or Crochet would be a win-now signal to the rest of the league (and it wouldn't cost Detroit a ton from a spending perspective).

Crochet's role in the rotation would be clear. He wouldn't threaten Tarik Skubal's role as ace, but having both as a 1-2 punch atop of the rotation would be a fearsome Justin Verlander-Max Scherzer-esque threat to hitters. The Tigers have announced their intention to platoon Javy Báez and Trey Sweeney at shortstop next year, but third base is still relatively open, as Matt Vierling can also operate as an outfielder.

It would take a lot to pull either of these players, and the Tigers might balk at the idea of taking on a contract quite as lucrative as Correa's. But if they're serious about needing a veteran righty bat, and one who was formerly managed by AJ Hinch at that, Correa could be a solution.