- MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand tweets that the Tigers are not actively shopping right-hander Justin Verlander, though he adds that a source says the team could be “talked into moving him” before the non-waiver deadline. That’s not all that surprising to hear, as Verlander is in the midst of one of his worst seasons and is owed nearly $70MM between now and the conclusion of the 2019 season. He also has a full no-trade clause, further complicating matters. While Verlander has been popular on the rumor circuit due to his name value, he doesn’t stand out as a realistic trade candidate given that contract, no-trade protection, his results and the Tigers’ likely desire to receive quality prospects in return.
- Tigers skipper Brad Ausmus is fully aware of the rumors surrounding his club but hopes that the front office doesn’t trade away any big league talent prior to the non-waiver trade deadline, writes Evan Woodbery of MLive.com. Ausmus believes the Tigers’ roster is markedly better than its record and is optimistic of a second-half turnaround. “Offensively, I do think part of the story is — I know how it sounds and I hate to say it — we’ve hit a lot of balls hard, significantly more than anyone else, that ended up being outs,” said Ausmus. “That can change games if a potential big hit becomes an out. We haven’t hit the ball as poorly as our numbers say.” Per Woodbery, Ausmus made an appeal to owner Chris Ilitch, though the manager concedes that it’s possible that some players will be moved.
Tigers Rumors
Tigers Outright Matt den Dekker To Triple-A
TODAY: den Dekker has been outrighted to Triple-A after he cleared waivers, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports (via Twitter).
WEDNESDAY: The Tigers have designated outfielder Matt den Dekker for assignment, per a club announcement. Alex Presley will take his roster spot after being activated from the concussion DL.
It ended up being a short stay in Detroit for den Dekker. The 29-year-old outfielder saw just four games of action, though that was enough to make this the fifth straight year in which he has cracked the majors. He has been hitting well at Triple-A on the season, with a .258/.331/.490 slash over 176 total plate appearances.
Detroit came into the year expecting to give Presley a shot, but he hit the DL after just 54 plate appearances. He’ll work into the outfield mix, most likely joining some kind of platoon with center fielder Mikie Mahtook.
It’s possible that some additional playing time could come available in just a few weeks, depending upon what the Tigers do at the trade deadline. Presley and den Dekker (if he clears waivers and decides to stay) are just two of the left-handed-hitting outfielders in the organization.
Jim Adduci was just optioned after being activated from his own DL stint, and the Triple-A Toledo roster also lists Tyler Collins and Jason Krizan as southpaw swingers who can play some center field. The Double-A outfield is made up entirely of lefty bats, with former top prospect Steven Moya joined by current top-ten prospects Christin Stewart and Michael Gerber.
Cubs Asked Tigers About Michael Fulmer, Daniel Norris
- “The Cubs have called almost every team” in search of starting pitching, including asking the Tigers about Michael Fulmer and Daniel Norris. It would take a blockbuster offer for Detroit to eve consider moving Fulmer, as he has already displayed frontline-starter capabilities over his year and a half as a major leaguer, and he has yet to even reach his arbitration seasons. Norris would come at a lesser but still substantial price since he is controlled through 2022, though the southpaw has battled both injuries and inconsistency during his four years in the bigs. The Cubs are known to be looking for controllable young arms, and may be willing to deal from their surplus of young position players to do so.
- One Tigers pitcher that isn’t on the Cubs’ radar is Justin Verlander, as one Cubs official tells Gammons that “no one is going to pay $70MM for him, even though he may still be a very good pitcher.” Chicago reportedly at least asked about Verlander at one point, though with Detroit apparently wanting to both get top prospects and get Verlander’s salary off the books, it isn’t surprising that the Cubs’ interest in Verlander was described yesterday as “more smoke than fire” by the Detroit Free Press’ Anthony Fenech.
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Teams Regard Justin Verlander As Diminishing Asset
While the Tigers have reportedly set a lofty asking price for right-hander Justin Verlander, his performance this year is going to make finding a taker difficult, says FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal (video link). Across 104 2/3 innings, Verlander has seen his ERA (4.73), strikeout (8.43 K/9) and walk (4.39 BB/9) rates trend in the wrong direction, and ERA indicators such as FIP (4.28) and xFIP (4.99) also paint a somewhat bleak picture. Thanks in part to his struggles this season, teams view Verlander as a diminishing asset and aren’t going to surrender top prospects for him unless Detroit absorbs a significant portion of his contract, reports Rosenthal. Verlander is due roughly $70MM through 2019.
Tigers Rumors: JD Martinez, Wilson, Verlander, Avila, Kinsler
“The Dodgers seem like an obvious fit” to acquire J.D. Martinez from the Tigers, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press writes. The two clubs discussed Martinez last winter, plus the Tigers have an interest in L.A. outfield prospect Alex Verdugo, though it remains to be seen if the Dodgers would trade the highly-touted Verdugo for a midseason rental like Martinez. Here’s a rundown of news about some of Detroit’s biggest trade chips, as per conversations between Fenech and several sources familiar with the thinking of both the Tigers and possible trade partners…
- The Dodgers are also interested in closer Justin Wilson, who would add another big left-handed arm to the L.A. bullpen. Wilson may be one of the most sought-after arms at the deadline, and given the premium on relief pitching, some believe the Tigers might get more for Wilson than they would for Martinez (Wilson is controlled through 2018, while Martinez is a free agent this winter). The Nationals have also had a scout following the Tigers this week, and Wilson is known to be one of their top potential trade targets as Washington looks to fix its ailing bullpen.
- Wilson has the subject of trade buzz since the offseason, and Fenech reports that the Astros came the closest to obtaining the southpaw over the winter. The Tigers asked Houston for top outfield prospect Derek Fisher at the time, and one would think Detroit’s interest has only increased given how Fisher has performed this season. Fisher has a superb .306/.370/.575 slash line and 19 homers over 336 Triple-A plate appearances, not to mention a .992 OPS during a 21-PA cup of coffee with the Astros in his big league debut. This is just my speculation, but since Houston’s bullpen is already arguably the league’s best, I’m not sure they would deal a top prospect for another reliever. On the other hand, if the Astros are unable to land starting pitching help, they could turn to the relief market in an attempt to form an ultra-bullpen, a la the 2015 Royals. The Astros have also had scouts recently watching the Tigers.
- The Cubs asked the Tigers about Justin Verlander and Alex Avila earlier this week, and Fenech reports that Chicago is indeed interested in having Avila fill the spot left behind the plate by Miguel Montero. In regards to Verlander, however, “the Cubs’ interest is more smoke than fire.”
- Verlander’s big contract limits his number of suitors, and Fenech lists just the Cubs, Dodgers and Astros as potential trade partners, though all have some drawbacks. Los Angeles may look to address other needs than its rotation, while an Astros move for Verlander “would be out of their character.” Still, Fenech figures Houston will at least check in with Detroit about the former Cy Young Award winner.
- There hasn’t been any buzz about Ian Kinsler, whose market is complicated by below-average numbers this season, his no-trade clause, and the fact that most contenders are already set at second base. Unless a contending team suffers an injury at the position, Fenech figures Kinsler will be an offseason trade candidate for the Tigers.
Tigers Have Not Asked Verlander For List Of Approved Trade Destinations
The trade deadline chatter hasn’t really picked up yet, perhaps in large part owing to the tightly packed American League. Jon Heyman of Fan Rag recently took his weekly spin around the A.L., providing a few items of note. While there has been a bit of buzz around Justin Verlander, the Tigers haven’t asked him to provide a list of teams to which he’d permit a trade. The Astros, meanwhile, seem to be hoping for a chance at adding a difference-making starter, but don’t know whether such an arm will end up being made available. And the White Sox, unsurprisingly, are ready and willing to get deals done.
Tigers Notes: Verlander, Norris
- Tigers right-hander Justin Verlander has seen his name pop up more and more on the rumor circuit, but the former AL Cy Young winner told reporters that he’s not at all focused on that possibility (via George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press). Moreover, Verlander’s comments suggest that, to this point, he has not been approached about the possibility of waiving his no-trade clause. “[GM Al Avila] has been very forthcoming with myself,” said Verlander. “He said don’t listen to everything that’s out there. If there’s anything that comes to fruition I’ll be the first to talk to you about it. Until or if that point comes, there’s nothing to think about really.”
- The Tigers announced today that left-hander Daniel Norris has been placed on the 10-day disabled list due to a left groin strain. Fellow lefty Blaine Hardy is up from Triple-A Toledo to take his spot on the active roster. Norris started yesterday’s game for Detroit and wouldn’t have been called upon again in the first half, so his first half would’ve been done anyway. Viewed through that lens, the move could be a procedural tactic, though MLB.com’s Jason Beck tweets that Norris is undergoing an MRI this morning to determine the injury’s severity, so there’s perhaps more at play here than simply getting an extra reliever on the roster for a few days on either end of the break.
Tigers Sign First-Rounder Alex Faedo
WEDNESDAY: Faedo’s deal is an above-slot arrangement worth $3.5MM, tweets FanRag’s Jon Heyman.
TUESDAY: The Tigers have signed first-round draft pick Alex Faedo, MLBPipeline.com’s Jonathan Mayo reports (Twitter link). Financial terms aren’t yet known, though the 18th overall pick carries a slot value of $3,214,600. Tony Paul of the Detroit News reported yesterday that Faedo was in Detroit and intended to sign his first pro contract, likely after taking a physical and finalizing any pending financial details.
Faedo is a 21-year-old right-hander out of the University of Florida. He was rated as the 10th-best prospect in this year’s draft class by Baseball America, with MLB.com (11th), Fangraphs’ Eric Longenhagen (13th) and ESPN’s Keith Law (27th) also giving him high grades. Law’s slightly-less-optimistic report notes that Faedo lacked showed an over-reliance on a slider and lacked command, making him a question mark as a future starting pitcher.
Faedo did have minor surgery on both knees last fall, however, which could explain his somewhat modest results this season. The BA and MLB.com scouting reports note that Faedo’s fastball, slider and changeup have all gotten generally good reviews from scouts, with his fastball reaching 93mph regularly and touching 95mph this spring once Faedo seemed more fully healthy.
The Tigers have worked out deals with the rest of their top-10 draft picks, as per MLB.com’s DraftTracker.
Tigers Set Large Asking Price For Justin Verlander
The Tigers are “looking for [a] big,big,big return without salary offset” in exchange for Justin Verlander, according to the perception of teams who have asked about the star right-hander, ESPN’s Buster Olney reports (Twitter links).
It isn’t surprising that Detroit would aim this high in trade talks, both because Verlander has been such a cornerstone for the franchise and for “it only takes one team to say yes” reasons. Other reports have suggested that the Tigers would be open to eating some of Verlander’s remaining salary, so it could be that the Tigers are willing to move from their initial demands.
Some flexibility is likely required to facilitate a Verlander trade given the many factors involved. Most importantly, Verlander has a full no-trade clause, so he could scuttle any deal if he simply doesn’t want to leave Detroit. It isn’t known whether Verlander is open to being dealt or what his demands would be (if any) for waiving his no-trade clause, though whatever the case, he clearly has “enormous leverage” in whatever trade negotiations take place, as Olney writes.
The righty is owed roughly $13.6MM for the remainder of this season, $28MM in both 2018 and 2019, and a $22MM vesting option for 2020 that is guaranteed if Verlander has a top-five finish in the 2019 Cy Young Award voting.
Beyond the money, there’s also the fact that Verlander is 34 and has 2437 career innings on his arm. He posted great numbers in 2016 and in the second half of an injury-shortened 2015 season, though Verlander has managed just a 4.96 ERA, 8.4 K/9 and career-worst 4.3 BB/9 over 98 IP this year. Verlander’s fastball velocity (95mph) is the hardest he’s thrown since 2011, though he has a 37.8% hard-contact rate that far surpasses his 27.1% career average.
His inconsistent 2017 season and the Tigers’ demands notwithstanding, however, one would think Verlander would draw quite a bit of trade interest considering his track record as a top-of-the-rotation ace. At least three or four teams have checked in with the Tigers about Verlander, with the Cubs and Dodgers both linked to former Cy Young Award winner on an exploratory basis. Chicago and Los Angeles fit the profile of the (somewhat limited) type of team that could swing a Verlander trade — a big-market club with a deep farm system, so they could afford at least a chunk of Verlander’s future earnings and also have the prospects available to interest the Tigers.
Tigers GM Al Avila has recently commented both about his franchise’s desire to cut payroll and his openness to listening to trade offers for veteran players, though moving Verlander would represent a larger step towards a potential rebuild than dealing, for instance, impending free agents like J.D. Martinez or Alex Avila. If Detroit is planning on a quick return to contention, however, I would suspect the team would look for both young talent and some slightly pricier proven MLB talent that would help the Tigers in 2018. That type of return could help make up the numbers in a Verlander trade if the Tigers are indeed not willing to eat much or any of Verlander’s contract.
Cubs Asked Tigers About Availability Of Verlander, Avila
The Cubs have made contact with the Tigers about veteran righty Justin Verlander and catcher Alex Avila, according to a report from MLB.com’s Jon Morosi (Twitter links). At this point, though, no real trade talks appear to have taken place.
While there’s little indication that anything is particularly likely to come together, it’s nevertheless notable to hear of the interest from the defending World Series champs. Chicago has struggled badly out of the gates, with its rotation representing a particular area of concern. And the team recently parted with left-handed-hitting backstop Miguel Montero, potentially making the similarly situated Avila an appealing target.
Of course, Verlander himself hasn’t exactly been pitching like an ace through the first half of the season. The Cubs sent a scout to watch his most recent outing, which represented a new low (no strikeouts, seven earned runs in 3 1/3 innings) for the longtime ace. Through 98 frames on the year, Verlander now carries a 4.96 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9.
Never has Verlander allowed so many walks over a full season. And his swinging-strike rate (9.1%) and strikeout rate (8.4 K/9) are both down after a bounceback 2016 campaign. Still, Verlander was excellent last year and is throwing about as hard as ever (95.4 mph average fastball), so it’s not hard to see a team taking a chance. There are only two years left on his contract, though it also includes $56MM guaranteed after the conclusion of the current season. Word is he’s increasingly available, with Detroit potentially willing to keep some of the cash that’s still owed — though the veteran righty also has full veto power over any deals.
As for Avila, he has improved his stock as much as any player in baseball. Through 204 plate appearances this year, he’s mashing at a ridiculous .310/.431/.571 clip with 11 home runs and a 17.2% walk rate. While his .427 BABIP surely won’t last, Avila looks to be quite a useful piece as a left-handed-hitting catcher.
For the Cubs, young switch-hitting receiver Victor Caratini looks to be a long-term piece, but it seems the team may not quite be willing to rely on him too heavily in 2017. Avila, then, could take his place as a complement to second-year man Willson Contreras, the regular behind the dish. The youthful Contreras hasn’t been quite as impressive this year as last at the plate, perhaps increasing the team’s desire to pursue a quality veteran complement.
