John Heyman: 3 Detroit Tigers who could hit the trade block

Following Thursday night’s heartbreaking loss to the Houston Astros, the Detroit Tigers now sit at 22-24, 4.5 games behind the surprising Minnesota Twins for 1st place in the American League Central.

If the Tigers can get things turned around before the MLB trade deadline approaches, it seems likely that they will either stand pat or possibly even make a move to improve their playoff chances. But, if things continue the way they are going, or even become worse, general manager Al Avila will probably look to cut some payroll to get a jump start on the rebuilding process.

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On Thursday, MLB John Heyman published an article titled, “70 players who could hit the trade block.” Included on Heyman’s list is three Detroit Tigers, including one who will likely end up in the Hall of Fame.

Here are the three Tigers included on Heyman’s list Via Fanrag:

Justin Verlander, Tigers SP. With $76 million to go through 2019 (about half what’s owed Greinke, though one rival points out the Tigers have shown no indication to pay it down). The Dodgers were the main team that showed interest in the winter. But the Tigers are seen as not too likely to sell, especially with no one running away with things in the AL Central. “I think they go for it to honor Mr. Ilitch, and besides that, he’s a likely Hall of Famer, which makes him a tough guy to trade,” one rival says.

J.D. Martinez, Tigers OF. The Tigers are likely going for it, but his hot start is a nice reminder how good he can be.

Ian Kinsler, Tigers 2B. The price tag was understandably high this winter since he’s a productive player with a fair deal ($18 million to go through next year assuming his option is picked up). The Tigers will probably hold, but if they do sell, he’d bring the most back in return.

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As a fan, my hope is that the Tigers get hot and put themselves in a position to win the American League Central division. If that happens, we will be talking about which players the Tigers should be buying at the deadline, rather than selling.