Tigers Could Consider Shocking Trade of Superstar Outfielder This Offseason
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The Detroit Tigers enter the offseason as a team who clearly needs to shake some things up in order to get to the next level as an American League contender.
Most fans want and hope these changes to come in the form of making a massive free agency signing, or perhaps trading several prospects in exchange for a difference-making superstar. What if, however, the biggest move came from trading away one of their current young core stars instead?
If Detroit wants to change the identity of its lineup, which it certainly seems was needed down the stretch, tough calls will have to be made. President of baseball operations Scott Harris has been adamant about wanting to change the offensive approach and cut down on strikeouts, and there's one giant way they could do that.
If Harris means what he says in terms of wanting more contact and less K's, it would not be shocking to hear he is at least thinking about the shocking possibility of trading away young slugging left fielder Riley Greene.
Tigers Blockbuster Riley Greene Trade Could Make Sense
There's no denying that Greene is an absolutely critical piece of this lineup and is the best power hitter Detroit has. With a career high of 36 home runs and 111 RBI in 2025, the young 25-year-old has become one of the most feared long-ball hitters in all of baseball.
The unfortunate reality though is that with those increased home run totals have come more and more strikeouts, and it has gotten to the point where it's a massive concern for his future development.
Greene struck out over 200 times this season and led the American League in K's, now being fanned 357 times over the course of the last two seasons. After a 5.4 bWAR in 2024, the hope was that Greene could take the next step this year and become a legitimate superstar.
Instead, that bWAR dropped to a 2.2 as Greene simply looked lost for large portions of the season. If Harris is serious, the slugger's approach does not work moving forward as a key cog of this lineup.
Tigers Could Receive Significant Haul for Greene
The risk Detroit faces if they choose to stay the course with Greene is that his value in a potential trade is not going to be higher than it would be now. Should the strikeout trend get even worse in 2026 and the home run numbers don't keep pace, the potential return would diminish significantly.
Greene could be dealt for an established big league pitcher along with a group of prospects to affirm the Tigers status as the best farm system in baseball, while also being able to add more contact instead of boom or bust power.
In reality, Greene's power is almost impossible to replace; however if Harris is fixated on adding contact and cutting down on strikeouts, shipping the star out of town could at least make some sort of sense.
It would still be shocking to see them actually make a move here, but unless Greene is willing to dramatically change the way he approaches things, the idea that he may not have a future in Detroit is not an insane as it may initially sound.
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Michael Brauner is a 2022 graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in Sports Media. He covers various MLB teams across the On SI network and you can also find his work on Yellowhammer News covering the Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers as well as on the radio producing and co-hosting 'The Opening Kickoff' every weekday morning on 105.5 WNSP FM in Mobile, Alabama.