Why Trading Detroit Tigers Former First Overall Draft Pick Makes Sense

The Detroit Tigers may be in a position where they need to trade away one of their former first-round pick this year.

Tigers Spencer Torkelson reacts after struckout against Guardians in the 7th inning at Game 5 of ALDS at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With Spring Training nearly here, things have started to heat up for the Detroit Tigers this offseason.

Over the past few days, the Tigers have been able to make some significant improvements to both their bullpen and their starting rotation. Despite a slow start to the winter, Detroit is looking like an improved team after bringing in Tommy Kahnle and Jack Flaherty.

The addition of Kahnle will give manager A.J. Hinch another high-leverage reliever to use out of the bullpen for next year. After pitching with the New York Yankees last year, the veteran right-hander will be pitching for another contender in 2025, and he brings a plethora of postseason experience.

While the move to sign Kahnle was nice, the addition of Flaherty was an impact signing. Before being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the veteran right-hander totaled a 7-5 record and a 2.95 ERA with the Tigers.

Both of the contracts are team-friendly for Detroit and that could be an indication that they might not be done this offseason trying to upgrade a talented young team.

However, while there is a lot of talent, there are also some players on the Tigers that it might behoove the team to move on from.

Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report recently highlighted a potential move that could be a win-win for the Tigers and the San Francisco Giants in which Spencer Torkelson is traded to the Giants.

“The Tigers aren't going to get a Top 100 prospect in return for Torkelson, but they could potentially get something useful for him right now. If he underwhelms for another season, there won't be any remaining value," he wrote.

The former No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 MLB draft just simply hasn’t reached his potential in Detroit. Despite hitting 31 home runs in 2023, he still had a WAR below 1.0 in what would be considered his best season in the Majors.

This offseason, the Tigers elected to sign Gleyber Torres to play second base, which allowed them to move Colt Keith to first base. This decision was a clear indication that the franchise doesn’t have much faith in Torkelson to turn it around.

With that being said, he is still just 25 years old and he still has some trade value. For a team like the Giants, who don’t have a deep farm system and could use more offense at first base, Torkelson is an appealing player to take a flyer on.

Wihle Bryce Eldridge is likely the future at the position for San Francisco, giving Torkelson a chance to turn things around for them in 2025 could create a valuable asset to flip down the line.

If the Tigers were to hold onto him and he isn’t in the lineup daily, his trade value would certainly continue to plummet. With enough talent on the roster to move on from him, that seems to be the best course of action.