MLB trade rumors: Tigers should make these 5 moves

The Detroit Tigers must embrace the long-delayed rebuild and see what prospects they can get for some of their well-paid veterans.

Should the Detroit Tigers be buyers or sellers at the MLB trade deadline? That’s a tricky question because no team in the majors is more on the fence between going for it and blowing it up.

On the one hand: Detroit has a veteran core (including franchise greats Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander) that would love one last shot at winning that elusive World Series title. The American League Central does not appear to be all that strong, so that approach makes some sense.

On the other hand: The Tigers are below .500 with an old, expensive group of players and a barren farm system. They have the assets to bring in prospects and start building for the future.

So what to do?

Over the last few seasons, the answer was easy. The Tigers were going to try to win a ring for beloved octogenarian owner Mike Ilitch while he was still around. Tearing it down to start over was not on the agenda.

But Ilitch died in February, so the pressure to “win one for Mr. I” is no longer there. The front office will have to make a strictly baseball-based decision.

And that decision should be to rebuild, as painful as it might be for a franchise that has just one losing season since 2008.

But the reality is the Tigers are below .500 and their run differential suggests they have earned that record. While the Minnesota Twins may not sustain their division-leading pace, the Cleveland Indians are simply better than the Tigers and likely will take control of the division soon.

The good news for Detroit is that, done right, their rebuilding process may take only a couple of years. The team has a some talented youngsters, including Michael Fulmer, JaCoby Jones and James McCann, to build around. If they supplement those guys with good prospects, they could be in contention again by 2019 or 2020.