Detroit Tigers: Trading Shane Greene this summer would make sense
While the non-waiver trade deadline is still two months away, speculation has already begun that the Detroit Tigers could be sellers once again. Closer Shane Greene should still have solid trade value after a bit of a shaky start.
Last season, reliever Shane Greene had a breakout season for the Detroit Tigers. Through 71 games, the one-time starter posted a 2.66 ERA, a 1.24 WHIP and a 9.71 K/9. After Justin Wilson was traded to the Chicago Cubs, Greene also took over the closer’s role for the Tigers.
While his name came up a little bit in trade rumors over the offseason, Greene remained with the Tigers. However, Greene is off to a bit of a slow start in his first full season as a closer. He has converted 11 saves, but has already blown three.
Greene is also sporting a fairly lofty 4.03 ERA. His 4.41 Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP) suggests that he hasn’t exactly been the victim of terrible luck either. Greene has also allowed four home runs already, just two shy of his total from all of last year.
Another problem that Greene has had this year is that he is not stranding as many baserunners. His LOB percentage currently sits at 69.7 percent, compared to 84.2 percent from last year. Though it fluctuates and changes each year, the average LOB percentage is currently estimated to be around 72 percent, according to FanGraphs. .
Greene has, however, still been showing the ability to dominate on occasion. He is averaging over a strikeout per inning with a 10.07 K/9. Though he is hardly in Zach Britton-territory, Greene is also sporting a respectable-to-above average groundball rate of 47.6 percent. He still has the type of stuff that can shut down an offense late in games.
Why trading Greene makes sense
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Right now, the Tigers are in third place in the AL Central with a record of 21-28. While they are still far from out of the race, they don’t appear to be poised to make a serious run. Recently,
‘s name has
surfaced in trade speculation once again
. According to
Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports
, teams are reportedly checking in on
as well. It wouldn’t be shocking to hear Greene’s name come up again in the near future either.
Even if teams may not necessarily want to trade for Greene so that he can be their closer, he could still be an attractive option as a late-inning or setup man. Moreover, he is under team control through 2020, potentially making him more valuable than a two month rental.
Lastly, it appears that the Tigers could already have Greene’s replacement. Joe Jimenez could be well on his way to being the team’s future ninth-inning man. After struggling in his rookie season, Jimenez has posted a 2.66 ERA and a 9.13 K/9 across 23.2 frames so far in the 2018 campaign.
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Of course, it remains to be seen what will ultimately happen, but it could certainly make sense for the Tigers to move on from Greene this summer and perhaps get a solid return for him.