Chris Shelton is 7 for 14 this spring, and the fine start could get him traded. I’m not sure why the Tigers are dead set on the lifeless bat of Sean Casey instead, but here we are. It appears Marcus Thames is the backup plan, leaving no room for Shelton.
With a .263/.352/.480 PECOTA, Shelton can still be an affordable league average first baseman. And there’s a legitimate chance he bumps it up to a Mo Vaughn/Pat Burrell level for a few seasons.
The problem for the Tigers is that it’s not terribly hard to find a 1B who can hit like this. Guys like Josh Phelps are freely available, so I wouldn’t expect an impressive bounty for Shelton. It may make sense to keep him at Triple A for a month or two and deal him once an injury creates a need for another club.
