Former Rookie of the Year runner-up Miguel Andujar wants out of New York, and there might be an opportunity for him in Detroit. Should the Tigers make a move for the disgruntled 27-year-old, who requested a trade from the Yankees over the weekend?
They should at least consider it. There's a good chance Jeimer Candelario will miss some time after leaving Sunday's loss in New York with a shoulder injury, creating a void for the Tigers at third base. That's Andujar's natural position. That's where he played in 2018 when he posted 27 homers and an .855 OPS and finished second to Babe Ruth Shohei Ohtani for AL Rookie of the Year.
That's where Andujar looked like a cornerstone for the Yankees until injuries derailed his rise, starting with a torn labrum in 2019. He's played in just 90 MLB games over the last four seasons, mostly as a left fielder. His most recent trade request, which reportedly isn't his first, came on the heels of a demotion to Triple-A. The first-place Yankees don't have room for Andujar on their roster.
Regardless of Candelario's status, the Tigers do. Because the Tigers remain desperate for potential impact bats in year six of their rebuild. They can afford to take a flyer on Andujar, who won't cost much. If it's an arm from their stable of minor league pitching, or even one from their overachieving bullpen, the price is probably right. Andujar owns a .305 average and an .869 OPS over his last two seasons in Triple-A. He's worth a longer look in the bigs.
This is not a dismissal of Candelario, nor an overreaction to his brutal start in 2022. But the Tigers should not be beholden to a 28-year-old with a sub-100 OPS+ over parts of seven MLB seasons. His presence should not preclude them from considering other long-term options at third. This season is his chance to secure a long-term deal from Detroit, to cement himself in the club's future, and he's currently last in the majors in fWAR among qualified third baseman.
Andujar isn't the perfect reclamation project. Who is? His defense is suspect. And he's about to run out of minor league options, so the Tigers would have to feel pretty good about keeping him on the big league roster. But that would be the point, to give the guy a shot. He hasn't played in more than 45 games in any of his last four MLB seasons. If his bat comes back to life in a bigger role, he's under team control through 2024.
The Tigers' struggling offense has help on the way. Austin Meadows (vertigo) is due back this week and Robbie Grossman (neck) is nearing the start of a rehab assignment. Top prospect Riley Greene should debut this month. Acuqiring Andujar would be more of a speculative move for the future. If the Tigers think they can get him a steady dose of at-bats between third base, left field and DH, again, the upside feels worth it.
This is where the Tigers are. They might not like it, but their failure to grow a better crop of position players over the last six years makes them a plausible landing spot for someone like Andujar. He wants for an opportunity, and Detroit's rebuild wants for bats. If there's still promise in Andujar's, it behooves the Tigers to find out.
