Detroit Tigers right fielder Nicholas Castellanos has been the team’s greatest offensive asset this season and could potentially be a very good trade chip. However, regardless of Tigers rumors out there, it appears that he is unlikely to be on the move.
With the 2018 non-waiver deadline less than a week away, rumors involving the Detroit Tigers are sure to begin heating up. The Tigers are now sitting 12.5 games behind the Cleveland Indians in the AL Central with a record of 43-60. It appears likely that they will be sellers.
One player who has been mentioned in trade speculation is right fielder Nicholas Castellanos. The 26-year-old Castellanos has become a legitimate offensive threat in recent seasons. Last year, he hit .272/.320/.490 (110 OPS+) with 26 home runs and a team-leading 101 RBI. So far in 2018, he is hitting .301/.355/.511 (132 OPS+) with 15 home runs and 56 RBI.
Still, it appears that Castellanos may not be the Tigers’ most likely trade candidate. According to Jayson Stark of MLB Network, it is “doubtful” that the Tigers will move Castellanos unless they are blown away by an offer. In the same tweet, Stark also noted that the Tigers won’t be entertaining calls on ace Michael Fulmer, who is currently on the DL. It has long been thought that it might take quite the package to pry either Fulmer or Castellanos away from the Tigers.
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The Tigers have a trio of players who could be a lot easier to trade — starting pitchers Mike Fiers and Francisco Liriano and center fielder Leonys Martin. Each player was signed to a one-year deal over the offseason. One would think that the Tigers should be able to flip at least one of them at the trade deadline without much trouble.
That being said, there still does appear to be at least some interest in Castellanos. On Monday, Mark Bowman of MLB tweeted that Castellanos was a “potential target” of the Atlanta Braves. The Braves are currently tied with the Arizona Diamondbacks for the second NL Wild Card spot and looking like they could be poised to be buyers. It would be interesting to see how Castellanos would fit into the equation, though, with right fielder Nick Markakis having a career year at the age of 34.
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Castellanos remains under control through next season, so Detroit will have the opportunity to move him over the offseason as well. If he continues swinging the bat the way he has over the first four months of the season, his trade value should be in pretty good shape this winter, even as a potential one-year rental.