Detroit Tigers: Can team find a taker for Jose Iglesias?

With the non-waiver trade deadline a little over a month away, rumors are beginning to swirl around several members of the Detroit Tigers. Might they be able to move their veteran shortstop?

Last summer, the Detroit Tigers entered into a rebuilding phase and traded away many of their veteran players. The Tigers later ended up trading veteran second baseman Ian Kinsler over the winter.

One longtime player who remained with the club was shortstop Jose Iglesias. However, as Will Burchfield of CBS Detroit reported, GM AL Avila appeared on 97.1 “The Ticket” over the winter and said that Iglesias probably wouldn’t factor into the team’s long-term plans.

Earlier this season, some wondered if the Los Angeles Dodgers might be a fit for Iglesias. The Dodgers lost their starting shortstop, Corey Seager, for the rest of the season. However, the team seems fine with Chris Taylor at shortstop. Still, it should be interesting to see if the Tigers can in fact find a taker for Iglesias in the coming weeks.

A valuable player

Though he isn’t especially known for his bat, per se, Iglesias is enjoying a hot month of June at the plate. One the season, He is hitting .273/.316/.390 (91 OPS+) with two home runs and 28 RBI. He has continued to play terrific defense as well, which has helped him accrue a 2.1 fWAR so far this season.

Any team acquiring Iglesias would most likely be getting him primarily for the purposes of shoring up their defense or as a fill-in for an injured player. Although he has shined at shortstop and certainly deserves to play the position every day, he could be an option for some teams at third base as well. Iglesias will be a free agent at the end of the season, so he would be a rental.

The Tigers have options to replace Iglesias at shortstop as well. If a trade does happen, one scenario might involve moving second baseman Dixon Machado to shortstop, his natural position. Detroit could then call up Dawel Lugo, who was acquired in the J.D. Martinez trade last summer, to take over at second base.

Next: Best All-Time Left Fielders in MLB history

Iglesias has been a solid player for the Tigers since coming over from the Boston Red Sox in 2013, despite battling injuries and missing the entire 2014 season. However, it would certainly make sense for the Tigers to try trade him, especially if, as Avila’s comments have implied, the team doesn’t plan on re-signing him.