Could Detroit Tigers Make Shocking Blockbuster Trade For Disgruntled Red Sox Star?
The Detroit Tigers find themselves in an interesting spot as the season is close to getting underway with the arrival of spring training games in the next week.
After coming up short on what was an admirable pursuit of Alex Bregman to fill the hole at third base, the Tigers are staring down the reality of either playing utility man Matt Vierling as the everyday third baseman or potentially putting a rookie in that spot who may not be ready yet in Jace Jung.
Neither option is ideal, but by the sounds of it, there's at least one new teammate of Alex Bregman on the Boston Red Sox who may not be thrilled by his arrival.
Bregman was signed to the Red Sox under the assumption he would be moving to second base while existing superstar Rafael Devers - who is under contract for the next decade on a deal worth over $300 million - would remain at third.
In the days since Bregman has arrived, however, the plan for Boston has become unclear with manager Alex Cora not committing one way or the other.
Things reached a fever pitch when Devers was asked if he would be willing to be the team's designated hitter and defiantly said no, and that his position is third base.
Could it be possible for the unthinkable to happen and the Red Sox are left with no choice but to ship the slugger out of town?
It's unlikely, but if it were to happen, the Tigers would likely be a strong contender to be the suitor.
For one, Detroit boasts one of the best farm systems in all of baseball and could likely put together a package to entice Boston as much as any other team.
While the contract for Devers is mammoth-sized when lined up next to the current Tigers payroll, the 28-year-old would be worth every penny.
Almost instantly reaching superstardom, Devers entered the league in 2017 and has done nothing but hit. With a career slash line of .279/.345/.511 for an OPS of .856 along with 200 career home runs, he is one of the most feared hitters in baseball.
His defense - which has ironically put the Red Sox in the awkward situation of clearly wanting to stick Bregman in his place - is suspect, but it has also improved immensely throughout the last few years.
Devers will never be a Gold Glover at the hot corner, but his offense is a tradeoff.
More importantly, however, he's the kind of hitter who would change a lineup and could be someone Detroit could build around for the foreseeable future.
A trade for the three-time All-Star may ultimately be a pipe dream since if the Tigers called right now, they would likely be laughed at.
But if things don't resolve themselves in Boston and reach a boiling point where Devers could become available, Detroit at the very least should be ready to make the call.
