Detroit Tigers Relief Pitcher Proposed as Player To Trade This Offseason
The great 2024 season for the Detroit Tigers came to an end in the American League Division Series, but despite the loss, the future is bright for the organization.
This campaign, the Tigers surprised everyone, as they went from sellers at the deadline to one win away from competing for the American League Championship.
Detroit was able to shock the world in the second half of the season, as they were arguably the hottest team in baseball. A big reason for the success of the Tigers in the second half was their pitching staff, as they had an ace in Tarik Skubal and an excellent bullpen.
Manager A.J. Hinch did an excellent job managing the staff and the bullpen down the stretch and throughout the postseason, as he really got the most out of this team.
Now, the front office will be looking to help take the team to the next level, and that will be starting this offseason. Whether it be in trades or free agency, the Tigers should be aggressive in trying and improve, as while they had a lot of success this season, the run they went on might not be sustainable.
Recently, Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report spoke about some unpopular potential trades for teams, and for Detroit, he floated the idea of trading relief pitcher Will Vest.
“What Detroit should consider, though, is subtracting from its seemingly limitless supply of talented relievers. Vest is one of the better ones on paper, but he's also the best candidate for a sell-high deal. Though the righty finished with a sub-3.00 mark for a second year in a row, his ERA should have been a run higher than it was. So, if the Tigers can leverage Vest and his three remaining years of club control for a hitting prospect, they should do it.”
Trading Vest would certainly be a shocking move, but with the amount of arms that the Tigers have, they could see a few of them as expendable. The right-hander is coming off the best year of his career, as he totaled a 2.82 ERA in his third season with Detroit.
With the 29-year-old being under team control for a few more years and having success with the Tigers, he would be a very desirable trade target.
While it would be shocking to see Detroit entertain a deal for Vest, it's not impossible. Considering how well he did for them in 2024, he would likely bring back an excellent player, which makes anything possible.
