Detroit Tigers Could Become Sellers If They Are Under 0.500 by the End of June
A high team payroll does not necessarily translate to wins. Just ask the Detroit Tigers.
The club is currently four games under 0.500 (23–27) and they have struggled to get above that mark all season long. Well, it may be time to push the reset button if they fail to turn things around next month.
According to MLB Network's Jon Morosi, the Tigers may place all their veterans on the trading block if they are still under 0.500 by the end of June.
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Looks like the Tigers don't want to wait until the trade deadline to decide if they want to rebuild. They could have blown things up in the offseason; instead, they decided to keep most of their players for another run.
The Tigers are going to have a hard time moving Miguel Cabrera because of his bloated contract. However, Justin Verlander is actually tradeable and FanRag Sports' Jon Heyman thinks the Tigers may dangle him as trade bait.
Despite the high salary ($28 million per year), Verlander only has two years remaining on his contract after the 2017 season. He also has a vesting option worth $22 million in 2020. Some teams can actually absorb a bad contract and stay competitive, so Verlander should draw some interest.
Morosi said Justin Wilson also drew a lot of interest in the offseason, so he's an obvious trade candidate if they end up below .500 by the end of June.
ESPN's Alex Tekip believes that J.D. Martinez and Ian Kinsler may be moved as well.
"Martinez and Kinsler, both of whom were rumored to be in trade discussions over the winter, are slated to reach free agency in 2018 at the earliest, although Kinsler has a $12 million option ($5 million buyout) for that year," Tekip said in his report.
"Kinsler has a 10-team no-trade clause and would only waive it if he was offered an extension on his current contract, his agent indicated when the Los Angeles Dodgers were reportedly interested in the 34-year-old during the offseason," he added.
