Tigers Reportedly Make Two Huge Asks In Boyd Trade Talks

Well, set a high bar, right? 

That's certainly what Al Avila appears to be doing in trade talks involving Matthew Boyd.

Two contenders have reportedly called the Tigers on Boyd, and both have been met with extreme demands. 

In response to the Yankees, the Tigers asked for Gleyber Torres, according to the New York Post. Torres, 22, is one of the best second baseman in the majors, who's under team control through 2024. He's not going anywhere. 

And in response to the Astros, the Tigers asked for Kyle Tucker, according to Jon Morosi. Tucker, 22, is the No. 10 ranked prospect in baseball, via MLB Pipeline, who has 24 homers and a .954 OPS in Triple-A this season. 

The Tigers first asked for Tucker in the Justin Verlander trade three years ago -- and got the same answer they did this time. 

#Astros have interest in Matthew Boyd but source says they are indicating (for now, at least) that they won't put Kyle Tucker in the deal. #Tigers asked for Tucker in the Verlander talks, too, and received a similar response from Jeff Luhnow. @MLBNetwork @MLB

As hefty as those requests might be, they shouldn't come as much of a surprise. When the Tigers first made Boyd available last month, it was reported they would "need to be overwhelmed in order to trade" him. 

The 28-year-old lefty is in the midst of a breakout season and is under team control through 2022. Unlike fellow trade chips Shane Greene and Nicholas Castellanos, there isn't a ton of incentive for the Tigers to move him by this year's deadline. 

Boyd, by the way, hasn't helped his own value over the past month. His numbers are still strong across the board, including the best strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.45) in the AL, but he posted a 5.90 ERA and allowed 10 homers over five starts in June. 

If the Tigers are serious about shopping him ahead of July 31, they'll have to lower the price. But it doesn't hurt to start out high.