It'd be a disaster if the Detroit Tigers don't do what they need to do at the trade deadline this year.
It's clear that the team has an opportunity to win the World Series, but if they don't make the right moves at the deadline, the Tigers shouldn't expect to be the favorites in the American League.
When considering potential trade options for the Tigers, Bleacher Report recently proposed the idea of them acquiring Xander Bogaerts of the San Diego Padres. Bogaerts, who was once one of the top players in Major League Baseball, is playing under an 11-year, $280 million contract through 2033.
“If they really want to go far, though, they're going to need a shortstop. The position has produced a paltry 0.4 rWAR, not to mention -3 Outs Above Average. Bogaerts could at least help with the latter, as he's been a consistently above average defender at shortstop ever since 2022.
“As for his bat, Comerica Park is the inverse of Petco Park. It kills righties on home runs, but it's better for singles and doubles than San Diego's digs. That's the big gaps at work, and they'd surely work for Bogaerts, too,” they wrote.
Already 32 years old, Bogaerts still has nearly a decade left on his contract.
The Tigers haven't been willing to spend too much money in recent years, and there's no reason for them to change that for a player of Bogaerts’ caliber at this stage of his career.
He's hitting just .227 with three home runs, holding a 73 OPS+.
If the Tigers were to take on this contract, they'd have to pray it works out.