The Detroit Tigers are sitting atop the AL Central and have a solid lead in the American League for the top spot overall. With such a promising season, the trade deadline is a time to further strengthen one of the league's best rosters.
But, in a trade proposal from Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report, the Tigers could make a wild deal with the Atlanta Braves. Rymer's trade proposal would have the Braves, amid their disastrous season, send Ronald Acuna Jr. to the Tigers for a huge haul.
"From the Tigers:" Rymer writes, "RF/DH Kerry Carpenter, RHP Casey Mize, SS Kevin McGonigle (Tigers No. 1), OF Max Clark (Tigers No. 2)."
That massive haul, which features the Tigers' top two prospects and one of their staff aces, would land Acuna from the Braves. While the addition of Acuna would be incredible for the Tigers, the massive value being sent to Atlanta would sting.
Mize is pitching incredibly well, with a 2.63 ERA and a 9-2 record through 15 starts this season. Losing him would hurt the Tigers' postseason chances, even if they land Acuna in return. The pitching staff in Detroit isn't strong enough to warrant losing Mize.
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While Mize's importance to the Tigers would likely squash a deal, the top two prospects going to Atlanta in this trade proposal would also be huge losses. McGonigle and Clark are very important pieces for the Tigers; losing both in one deal is a huge loss.
Carpenter's addition to the deal isn't as big of a loss, but his slugging potential, with 16 home runs so far this season, would be a tough blow to the Tigers' roster.
Even though the Tigers could land a superstar in Acuna, who's one of the best players in the game, the players Rymer has the team moving would drastically hurt the starting rotation and the prospect talent.
Baseball is a team sport, and losing a lot of talent across multiple positions for one player might restrict the team's success going forward. Even though Acuna is incredible, the players that Detroit would lose outweigh the addition of Acuna.
This wild trade proposal is a complete hypothetical, and there is effectively no scenario in which the Braves move on from Acuna any time soon, no matter how strong an offer is.
But, if this offer were to get the job done, the Tigers would add a great player in Acuna, but take a huge step back elsewhere in the organization.
Between the departure of the top two prospects and Mize's departure from the rotation, the Tigers would be worse off after this massive trade proposal from Rymer
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