Proposed Detroit Tigers Trade Would Land Costly St. Louis Cardinals Ace
It doesn't seem like the Detroit Tigers are willing to spend too much this winter.
That's a problem. If the Tigers don't want to put the best possible team on the field in 2025, that's on them.
It's unfortunate for many reasons, mainly because they can compete in the American League if things go as planned. They proved a year ago they're much closer to contention than initially expected.
There's a chance some of their youngsters will struggle next season, and perhaps the 2024 second half was the best they'll ever play. But Detroit has a lot of talent and could be a move or two away from taking over the American League if the young guys continue to improve.
It's tough to find a trade for the Tigers that would make sense for all parties involved. That's mainly due to Detroit not being willing to take on a certain amount of money rather than another team not being interested in its prospects.
The Tigers have one of the best farm systems in baseball and could realistically complete about every trade that happens moving forward.
Despite the financial constraints, Mike Axisa of CBS Sports proposed the idea of them trading for Sonny Gray.
There are significant financial constraints, too. Gray is owed $65 million for the next two years, with $25 million coming next season. Even for a pitcher of his caliber, that's a considerable amount. Working in Detroit's favor would be Axisa's view that the options are dwindling for teams to make pitching moves in free agency.
"This late in the offseason, many teams have spent most of their money, and the short-term control will limit Gray's trade market to contenders... I'd love to see the Tigers get involved too," he wrote.
Gray would be an excellent addition to Detroit's rotation, even at that cost.
The Tigers taking on that contract doesn't seem likely, and there's a slim chance the St. Louis Cardinals would be willing to eat some of his contract.
The Cardinals do want to lower their payroll, and while eating some of that money could help them get there, the perfect world would see them trade Gray to a ball club willing to pay him the full amount he's owed the next two campaigns.
If Detroit becomes willing to make this type of trade, the addition of a veteran right-hander with above-average stuff like Gray would be ideal. But it would come at a cost of prospects, and given Gray's reputation and that he's under team control for two years, it wouldn't be cheap.
He's one of the more underrated starters in the game and could help the Tigers capture the American League Central.
