MLB Trade Deadline Rumors: 5 trades Tigers should make

4. Trade Alex Avila

Catcher Alex Avila spent 2016 with the Chicago White Sox, but signed a one-year contract to return to the team that drafted him in the fifth round of the 2008 draft, and with whom he spent the first seven years of his major league career.

The 2017 season has been one of the best for Avila, who has his .278/.401/.486 with 11 home runs and 32 RBI in 74 games. The 30-year-old has never produced a higher on-base percentage as a big leaguer, and his batting average and slugging percentage are the best since he was an All-Star and MVP candidate in 2011.

Much of Avila’s success at the plate can be attributed to how hard he hits the ball. Avila ranks among the top 10 players in the majors in average exit velocity (108.0 mph), and is fourth in the percentage of balls hit harder than 95 mph (52.9 percent).

The Colorado Rockies are among the teams looking to upgrade at catcher, having spent the majority of the season at the bottom of the major league leaderboard in Wins Above Replacement by catchers. As of Wednesday, Rockies catchers have an MLB worst -0.5 fWAR, hitting just .236/.318/.315 collectively with a big league low three home runs. The Nationals (-0.3), Diamondbacks (-0.1) and Red Sox (0.1) all rank among the bottom five.

The Mariners are an intriguing potential landing spot for Avila because Seattle has struggled to produce offensively at both first base and catcher, and Avila would provide a left-handed hitting platoon at either position along with Danny Valencia and Mike Zunino, respectively.