Detroit Tigers Utility Man Named Most Likely Player To Be Traded This Offseason
The Detroit Tigers are heading into the offseason with much different expectations than they likely would have thought one year ago.
A magical run in the second half of the season for the Tigers drastically changed the course of the direction for the franchise. After being sellers at the trade deadline, Detroit went on to find their groove in the second half of the year and became one of the top teams in baseball.
The Tigers went on to make the playoffs, and they defeated the Houston Astros in the Wild Card Round before getting eliminated by the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Division Series.
As Detroit heads into the offseason, expectations are likely much higher than originally thought based on their success. In free agency, the Tigers should be players on some of the better players available, and they should also be monitoring the trade market.
Recently, Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report spoke about one player from each team who is the most likely to be moved this offseason. For Detroit, he named utility man, Zach McKinstry as the most likely person and highlighted why that could be the case.
“If the Tigers hope to build off of their magical finish in 2024, they're going to have to add more established talent to their lineup. That may mean that some of the fringe pieces on their roster end up elsewhere in 2025. McKinstry has just a .643 OPS in parts of five MLB seasons but possesses the ability to play all over the diamond defensively. For a team looking to fill out their bench, the 29-year-old could make sense.”
Since the Tigers should be looking to upgrade in a couple of areas for their lineup, a guy like McKinstry could be moved to make room. Even though he might not be the best fit in Detroit, he has the ability to play all over the field.
Where he is lacking is in the hitting department, which is a need for the Tigers to take the next step. In 118 games last season, the 29-year-old totaled four home runs, 23 RBIs, and a .215 batting average.
While defensive versatility is a good thing to have, Detroit has to focus on adding more impact bats. Considering how much McKinstry played at multiple positions, he is a prime candidate to be moved in order to get some more pop in the lineup.
