The annual baseball Winter Meetings begin this coming Monday and with the big (reported) news of Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani agreeing to a deal with the Los Angeles Angels, followed by the impending deal of Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton heading to the New York Yankees, expect a big chain reaction of trades and free agent signings to occur.
The Detroit Tigers are likely to generate interest in the seller’s marker and one player on the radar for multiple teams in second baseman Ian Kinsler. The latest reports are that one National League team could be vying for his services through a trade.
Mets have had trade talks with Tigers about Ian Kinsler and also with the Indians about Jason Kipnis. I hear they may also use winter meetings to explore deal with Pirates for Josh Harrison.
— Marc Carig (@MarcCarig) December 9, 2017
To be clear, Mets have had most dialogue with Tigers regarding Kinsler to this point. But I hear there’s some skepticism about a deal getting done there.
— Marc Carig (@MarcCarig) December 9, 2017
By many accounts, Kinsler is coming off his weakest season offensively. The 35-year-old hit just .236 in 139 games played, with 22 home runs and a career-worst OPS+ of 90. Defensively, it was business as usual for Kinsler, who nearly hauled in his second consecutive Gold Glove Award last month.
Contractually speaking, Kinsler is penciled to make $11 million in 2018 after a vesting option kicked in towards the tail end of this past season. He will them become a free agent at this time one year from now.
This is not the first time Kinsler has been linked to the Mets. It was reported back in late November that he was being looked at by New York as well as the aforementioned Angels, who are still in need of an everyday second baseman. In fact, both teams have voids at both second and third base, which is something that Kinsler is reportedly willing to accept if a team has plans for him there.
Kinsler’s name has popped up in trade rumors going all the way back to the mid-season non-waiver trade deadline in July. In addition to the Mets and Angels, the Milwaukee Brewers had reportedly shown interest in the veteran second baseman, but that really ever gained any traction. Additionally, multiple teams, most notably the Angels, put in waiver claims for Kinsler back in August.
The potential for an Ian Kinsler trade seems a bit more likely when you ask those around the industry. The Tigers possess the No. 1 pick in the upcoming Rule 5 Draft that takes place in the final day of the Winter Meetings next week. However, with the recent free agent signing of starter Mike Fiers, the Tigers’ 40-man roster is all filled up, so the team would have to make some roster move in order to free up a space for a possible Rule 5 selection.
