MLB trade rumors: Each team’s best trade chip

Detroit Tigers: J.D. Martinez

Two years ago, the Tigers pulled off a mini rebuilding effort at the traded deadline when they moved David Price and Yoenis Cespedes. That rebuild was short-lived, as owner Mike Ilitch made another big foray into free agency before the 2016 season and signed Jordan Zimmermann and Justin Upton. Returns on those big signings have been underwhelming at best so far for the Tigers.

Ilitch did not keep his desire to win a World Series before he died a secret. He had no time for a full-scale rebuild, but that is what the Tigers need right now. Years of focusing only on free agents and trades has left them with one of the weakest farm systems in the league and one of the oldest rosters.

The Tigers cannot get suckered into chasing a wild-card spot this year at the risk of missing out on a chance to further rebuild a farm system. J.D. Martinez is playing himself out of the Tigers price range with a scorching start after returning from the DL. The right fielder has homered 10 times in his first 22 games back in the lineup with a slugging percentage near .800. Martinez has paid his dues, and is deserving of a long-term deal pushing $100 million this offseason. The Tigers cannot afford to keep breaking the bank to sign older veterans, no matter how good Martinez has been for them.

Martinez will be the number-one slugger on the trade block come the end of July, and the Tigers would be wise to extract as much prospect value for him as possible. Their trades of Price and Cespedes in 2015 have already begun paying off, bringing back Daniel Norris and Michael Fulmer.