In the early years of their rebuild, the Tigers approached the trade deadline looking for anything they could get. It was about unloading contracts, restocking the farm system and shifting the focus to the future. That could change later this month.
GM Al Avila said in June that "we're not in a position right now, and I've told the other GM's this, where we have to make a trade." And if they do make any trades, manager A.J. Hinch made it clear Tuesday the Tigers will be seeking substantial returns.
"We are wanting to improve our product at the Major League level and we’re doing that either through our system or a little bit of a culture change and the players stepping up and playing well. When you get to this point and you’re under .500, everybody thinks they can just come and pick your players that are (pending) free agents or they can come get a bullpen arm or what are deemed to be cheap additions for other teams. Where we’re sitting is, 'You have to come pay for our guys if you’re going to come get our guys.' We are trying to develop winners here. We’re trying to maintain a high standard," Hinch said on MLB Network Radio.
The Tigers have a number of players who will draw interest ahead of the July 30 deadline. Infielder Jonathan Schoop, with 16 homers on a one-year deal, is likely at the top of the list. Players under longer team control like Matthew Boyd, Spencer Turnbull and Jose Cisnero could be attractive trade chips as well. On that note, don't rule out All-Star reliever Gregory Soto.
Just don't expect the Tigers to move any of them without moving the needle of their rebuild.
"Nowadays with trades being really hard to pull off, you gotta keep your price tag high if you’re going to move players, regardless if you have a relief arm that people want or you have an expiring contract that people think they can just come pay for and you’re going to get something rather than nothing," said Hinch. "Where we’re at, keeping these players, if we choose to do so, is going to help our culture and help us develop that winning mindset that we’re trying to instill here.
"So if some team wants to come and offer Al something, I’m sure he’ll listen and we’ll be fair about it. But we’re not going to give away our players to a closer-to-contending team than people deem us to be."
Hinch has an extensive front-office background. He's been assistant GM for the Padres and director of player development for the Diamondbacks. He gets how trade talks work. He's not saying the Tigers are opposed to moving established players, especially if it can aid their big-league roster in the near future. He pointed to Zack Short, a Double-A prospect acquired at last year's deadline for Cam Maybin, as proof that "you have to be very open to finding talent in different ways." Short has been Detroit's best shortstop this season.
"You have to be careful to turn your back on deals that might pop and surprise you later," said Hinch. "I just think nowadays, the norm around the game, people are afraid of the burn factor so trades have been tough."
Like when the Cubs sent prospect Gleyber Torres to the Yankees in 2016 as part of a package for Aroldis Chapman and "then a couple years later there’s the, 'Should they have done that?'" said Hinch. (Chapman returned to the Yankees the ensuing offseason and Torres is now a two-time All-Star.)
"We grade trades way too fast, we glorify prospects to the point where everybody gets criticized when you make a trade and everybody gets criticized when you don’t," said Hinch. "But I think teams should try to win and I think you can try to win even if you’re not deemed a playoff team in July. You have to balance that need for today with the need for tomorrow, but the need for today still matters."
Schoop is Detroit's most likely candidate to get traded. That might be a case where the Tigers take the best offer they get. Or maybe they hold out and reap the rewards of his bat for another few months in the name of a winning culture. Schoop's surge has helped the club post back-to-back winning months for the first time since 2016 and the AL's fifth best record (30-22) since May 8.
Either way, the Tigers won't be a one-stop shop for contending teams. If those teams have holes to plug, there will be a price to pay in Detroit.
"I’m just trying to caution the industry that you don’t have to give away your players even though you’re under .500 or you’re chasing a couple teams," said Hinch. "Yes, you can systematically work through trades and get a player who pops tomorrow, or maybe you get a guy who is blocked at a place with a big contract and you have money to spend for next season and you do a little bit of your buying then.
"There’s a lot of ways to do this. I just don’t like when teams think they can just come to a mid-tier to lower-tier performance team and just pick your players."