Proposed Detroit Tigers Trade Lands Future Hall of Fame Third Baseman
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The Detroit Tigers made a huge effort to bring in Alex Bregman this offseason, but failed. Could they now turn their attention back to another All-Star third baseman that is on the market?
Zach Pressnell of FanSided recently came up with a trade idea that would land them a future Hall of Fame veteran that could be invaluable for their lineup of young, rising stars.
This proposed trade would send right-handed pitcher Ty Madden to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for third baseman Nolan Arenado and cash considerations.
While the Tigers would like to keep all of their young, promising arms in their farm system as long as they can, they may need to move one of them to progress their offense.
No offense, to Madden, but he would be an acceptable player to move. He is a talented pitcher that doesn't currently have a path to clear innings in the starting rotation.
This deal would also have to wait, as Madden is currently dealing with a shoulder injury, but a move closer to the deadline could be more realistic anyway.
Now that A.J. Hinch has moved past the 'pitching chaos' method, he would have to come out of the bullpen this year.
Madden was a first-round pick back in the 2021 MLB draft. For the first couple of years, he looked like a promising arm.
In 171.1 innings of work and 36 starts at the Double-A level, he has a 3.20 ERA with a 1.122 WHIP and 9.9 K/9. That is a solid level of production for a starting pitcher.
When he got called up to Triple-A, though, things did not go as smoothly. He made 18 starts there last year and had an ERA of 7.97. Those batters simply had no issues hitting his pitches.
The 25-year-old was a bit more efficient when called up to the Majors, with a 4.30 ERA over 23 innings.
He still has a high ceiling, but Detroit could afford to move him. Especially for a player of Arenado's caliber.
The eight-time All-Star may not be at his peak anymore, but he would provide some great veteran leadership and a more reliable bat at the hot corner. It's also been a few years since his last Gold Glove, but he is still playing great defense.
Last year was the worst campaign of his career, but he still posted a .272/.325/.3394 slash line with 16 home runs and 71 RBI. Even that would make him one of the more reliable bats in the lineup, but he is also capable of much more.
Tigers third basemen accounted for just a .234/.294/.350 slash line with 11 home runs last season.
Arenado has not expressed interest in joining the team in the past, but proving that they are a winning team leading up to the deadline could change his mind.
