Arizona Diamondbacks Named Potential Trade Suitor for Detroit Tigers First Baseman
It was an incredible season for the Detroit Tigers in 2024, as they were able to shock the league and exceed all expectations.
The stretch run for the Tigers was one of the wildest things that baseball fans have seen in recent years, as they went from sellers at the deadline to making the American League Division Series.
Things like that don’t happen all that often, despite offloading talented players like Jack Flaherty, Detroit was able to have a lot of success.
One of the main reasons for the success of the Tigers down the stretch and in the playoffs was the performance of their pitching. Led by Tarik Skubal, Detroit was able to find ways to win games even with the offense not always being up to par.
This offseason, upgrading the offense should be a main priority for the Tigers, as their lineup was very lackluster at times. When looking at where Detroit might look to upgrade the lineup, first base and third base seem likely the most likely spots.
At first base, the Tigers currently have Spencer Torkelson. Even though the slugger is just 25 years old, he hasn’t quite had the success that Detroit would have hoped for.
With that being said, Torkelson was recently linked to the Arizona Diamondbacks by Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report, as the Diamondbacks could be interested in a potential trade.
While the Tigers moving players might seem odd for the team that is looking to improve and win-now, a potential trade with Torkelson could make sense.
Since Detroit is looking to upgrade at first base, clearing the way to do so makes sense. Even though the return for the slugger might not be a ton, it could free up the position for them to go after an impact bat for the middle of their order.
For Arizona, pursuing a player like Torkelson at first base makes a lot of sense with Christian Walker hitting free agency and likely to be heavily pursued. Even though he had a tough 2024, the 25-year-old did have over 30 home runs in 2023, as he certainly has some power.
However, injuries and inconsistency have really hampered his young career so far, which is why the Tigers might be willing to move on.
As the offseason heats up, it will be interesting to see if Detroit does indeed look to move Torkelson and try to improve their lineup by bringing in a new first baseman.
