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The Tampa Bay Rays and Detroit Tigers, two teams that are currently on the outside of the American League Wild Card race, have reportedly been involved in MLB trade discussions.
The Rays and Tigers have reportedly “discussed potential deals that would move veteran players,” according to Jeff Passan of ESPN
With how close the AL Wild Card race is, it makes sense that teams like the Rays and Tigers are looking to try and make smaller moves featuring veterans who are likely on expiring or shorter-term contracts instead of swinging for the fences for elite talent or blowing up the roster and entering a rebuild.
The biggest name that could be being discussed here is Rays outfielder and former All-Star and Rookie of the Year Randy Arozarena. Later on in Passan's report, he lists Arozarena as “best match” for the Los Angeles Dodgers, which would hypothetically make him available in trade discussions.
Arozarena is currently having the worst season of his career, slashing just .191/.304/.348 on the year. However, he has been playing closer to his career average the past month, making him a much more appealing trade target.
Tampa Bay is known to trade players before they hit free agency. Arozarena is expected to be under team control for two more years, so with Arozarena playing better after his slow start to the season, now may be the time to try and move him to get the most value.
Rays and Tigers in trade discussions
Other names that could be on the move for the Rays include reliever Shawn Armstrong and utility-man Amed Rosario, both of whom are on expiring contracts and could provide a lot of value to a team trying to fight their way into postseason contention.
The Tigers are one of the youngest teams in baseball and don't have a lot of veterans, narrowing the list of potential trade candidates. OF/1B Mark Canha, starter Kenta Maeda and reliever Andrew Chafin are some of the names that would make sense in this case.
Despite relatively disappointing seasons from both the Rays and Tigers, they still have very bright futures. If Detroit is able to pry away Arozarena from Tampa Bay without giving up any significant assets, they should absolutely go for it. In this case though, it is more likely that the two sides are just discussing a smaller-scale trade to try and make marginal improvements featuring veterans on expiring or short-term contracts.
