Should Tigers Up Offer To Astros For The Star They're Seeking?

Cover Image
Photo credit Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Matthew Boyd (48) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Comerica Park. -- Joe Puetz-USA TODAY Sports

If the Tigers want to land a big fish by Wednesday's trade deadline, it's clear they're going to have to think big. 

And a big fish, specifically a big bat, is exactly what this fledgling rebuild needs. 

So far, Al Avila hasn't received the kind of overwhelming offer he's seeking for Matthew Boyd. That's unlikely to change by 4:00 Wednesday afternoon. And he's not going to get a whole lot for Shane Greene and Nicholas Castellanos in individual deals.

But an opportunity beckons in Houston, where the Astros are said to be searching for both a starting pitcher and a reliever. That search continues to lead them to Boyd, only to hit the same dead end when the Tigers ask for outfielder Kyle Tucker. 

Tucker, 22, is Houston's top prospect and the No. 13 overall prospect in baseball. He's got 27 homers and a .905 OPS in Triple-A this season. He would immediately step into the Tigers outfield, which at the moment is void of any foundational pieces. 

Will Christin Stewart develop into a legitimate power hitter in left? Will JaCoby Jones produce enough offense to hold down the job in center? Who's taking over in right in the wake of Nicholas Castellanos? 

Tucker, one of the best hitting prospects in baseball, could fill Castellanos' shoes tomorrow. More importantly, he could fill them next year and beyond.

If the Astros won't hand him over for Boyd, the Tigers should place Greene on the table as well. Maybe the Astros will add another name to the deal on their end. Maybe they won't. 

It would make sense for the Tigers either way. 

They're shopping Boyd in the first place because they desire a major league-ready bat. And they're trading Greene, by all accounts, no matter what. On his own, Greene might yield a couple mid-tier prospects who may or may not make an impact down the road.

In a package with Boyd, there's a chance he could fetch the Tigers exactly what they're seeking. 

This rebuild doesn't need any more let's-wait-and-see projects. The Tigers collected a whole bunch of them at the 2017 deadline, and look where they are now. It needs high-ceiling prospects who are close to the bigs. 

It's clear the Tigers like Tucker, and it's easy to see why. It seems equally clear the Astros won't trade him for Boyd alone. If Greene is the piece that brings it all together, Avila should be ready to pull the trigger. 

Otherwise, why is he selling at all?