Detroit Tigers News: A trade rumor round-up

The chances that this changes from the the time I write it to the time you read it are high, but here is a round-up of all the latest Detroit Tigers rumors:

• Alex Avila: The Chicago Cubs remain the front runners and Bob Nightengale believes that Avila will be the next move the Tigers make, calling it a “perfect fit.” It will be interesting to see what the return will be on a rental backup catcher.
• Justin Wilson: Interest remains high, with the Red Sox, Astros, Brewers, Dodgers and Nationals all involved. The Nationals have already said that they won’t move any top prospects, which is not shocking.
• Jose Iglesias: While Jon Heyman notes that Jose Iglesias could be had for the right price, there has been little to no market developing for Zach Cozart. Given that Cozart is the hotter commodity right now, it’s hard to see Iglesias being moved.
• Michael Fulmer: Not gonna happen.
• Justin Verlander: The Tigers have stated they are willing to take on some money to sweeten the deal. The most interested party appears to be the Houston Astros, who are contemplating a Justin Wilson and Verlander swoop. Houston is also in heavy talks with the Oakland Athletics on Sonny Gray, though. Other teams keeping an eye on Verlander are the Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers.

Note that the site has a running update page for each of the likely trade candidates, and be sure to stick to Twitter for real-time news.

Make your voices heard

Did you know you can write for BYB? Yes, you! Whenever you want. It’s called a FanPost and it’s a way you can make your voice heard on the website. You can find instructions here.

We’ve had a great influx of FanPosts over the past couple weeks including some encouragement for Al Avila to hit the phones and some analysis around the true value of prospects. Check out these posts and contribute your own! Sharing is caring.

Never change, Yo

Potential is still just potential

As the Tigers spend the deadline selling off pieces of their team, they begin to look to the future. Unfortunately, the team with the brightest future resides in their division: the Chicago White Sox.

In a little over a year and a half, Rick Hahn and the White Sox organization have turned their farm system into a juggernaut. Including top-ranked Yoan Moncada, who was called up on Wednesday, it features seven prospects within the top 100 of Baseball America’s rankings.

But before anointing them the 2020-2025 AL Central champs, it’s important to remember this is all based on potential. FanGraphs points out that while the upside is high, many of the prospects still have major flaws in their game. And compiling prospects doesn’t create a team. You need to develop these players to stardom and make smart trades with the extra assets to create an effective 25-man roster. So yes, the future is bright on the south side. But the real work is still to come.

For your free time

Curtis Granderson is heading toward retirement. He has spent the last 8 years in New York but he will always be a Tiger. The Mariners got David Phelps. Though not well known, he is very good at throwing baseballs. Gincarlo Stanton really hates losing to the Phillies. And he should. Cody Bellinger is happy to cede the spotlight to Lonzo Ball because he is humble and his dad is not a lunatic. That said, Major League Baseball should probably market the hell out of this kid. The Yankees bullpen is terrifying again.

Baseball is awesome