Detroit Tigers Encouraged to Pursue Trade for Veteran All-Star Outfielder

The Detroit Tigers are being encouraged to deal for an outfielder that could give them a jolt of offense this season.

Feb 19, 2025; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets right fielder Starling Marte (6) runs on the field during a spring training workout at Clover Park. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

As spring training starts to heat up for the Detroit Tigers, the team is looking strong on paper coming into 2025.

This winter has been a successful one for the Tigers. For a team that was just one win away from making the American League Championship Series last year, they didn’t suffer any major departures this winter and added to their talented young group.

Coming into the offseason, improving the starting rotation was arguably the biggest need for the team. In the postseason especially, Detroit’s rotation looked outmatched after Tarik Skubal, and getting another front-end starter was a clear need.

They did just that with the addition of Jack Flaherty, who will be returning to the team after an excellent first half of the season in 2024 with the Tigers.

The other main area that needed some upgrading was their lineup, especially on the right side of the plate. Detroit did sign Gleyber Torres to a one-year deal, but the veteran infielder likely won’t move the needle much.

Even though they weren’t able to sign him, the Tigers were very much in the mix for former All-Star Alex Bregman before he signed with the Boston Red Sox. This means that if the right player is available, Detroit still might be looking to upgrade.

Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report recently wrote about the Tigers’ offensive outlook in the outfield and mentioned them as a team that should pursue Starling Marte from the New York Mets.

The 36-year-old outfielder is in the final year of his contract with the Mets and the franchise might be willing to move him and eat some of that salary after signing Juan Soto this winter.

Marte is a two-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove Award winner. The slugger is a complete all-around player with power and speed, even at his age. However, the big downside is that he just simply can’t stay healthy.

In the last two seasons, Marte hasn’t been able to play in 100 games in either season. Even though he’s been productive when healthy, he likely isn’t an everyday player anymore.

For the Tigers, he could be a potential option in a platoon role in the outfield or as a designated hitter. The team still needs a right-handed bat near the top of their order and Marte could fill that need.

Even though he wouldn’t be as good of an addition as Bregman, he could provide some value. With a contract expiring at the end of the year, it also wouldn’t tie Detroit up financially, which is something they were mindful of this winter.