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MLB hot stove: top trade target for each team

By Benjamin Chase

SEATTLE, WA - JULY 30: James Paxton #65 of the Seattle Mariners waits to deliver the pitch in the second inning against the Houston Astros at Safeco Field on July 30, 2018 in Seattle, Washington. The Seattle Mariners beat the Houston Astros 2-0. (Photo by Lindsey Wasson/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA - JULY 30: James Paxton #65 of the Seattle Mariners waits to deliver the pitch in the second inning against the Houston Astros at Safeco Field on July 30, 2018 in Seattle, Washington. The Seattle Mariners beat the Houston Astros 2-0. (Photo by Lindsey Wasson/Getty Images) /
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MLB hot stove
NEW YORK, NY – AUGUST 30: Nicholas Castellanos #9 of the Detroit Tigers in action against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on August 30, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Tigers defeated the Yankees 8-7. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

Detroit Tigers

The Tigers are in the midst of a rebuild, and that usually would mean that guys who are cost-controlled and relatively young would not be high priority to move, but with depth at particular positions, the Tigers could market a few players for big returns that would help their rebuild.

Deciding between the two likely biggest return players is difficult, but I’m going to choose outfielder Nick Castellanos. With slugging outfielder Christin Stewart likely to open 2019 in Detroit and limited in his defensive position, Castellanos and Stewart in the same outfield could be rough on Tigers pitchers.

It’s not that Castellanos has no value in the outfield. He does have a big arm, which allowed him to make 10 assists last year, and in the right outfield, he could be an asset, but his range is very limited, so with another defensively-limited outfielder in the same outfield, a lot of balls would be falling on Tigers pitching.

Teams have already been calling on Castellanos after his .298/.354/.500 season in 2018 with 23 home runs. That came on the heels of 26 home runs in 2017, establishing Castellanos as a young power hitter that teams are very interested in picking up.

Castellanos has one more season before free agency, so the return will likely not be huge, but if the Tigers are able to play into a bidding war, they could get a nice package for Castellanos that helps set them up for 2020-2021 and beyond.

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