Ian Kinsler (Tigers' photo)
The Tigers gave up some stars in 2016, including Justin Verlander and J.D. Martinez.
Now, other Tigers' names could surface at the 2017 Major League Baseball General Manager’s meetings in Orlando which begins Monday.
Traditionally, the GM meetings serve as an opportunity for teams to lay groundwork for future deals in the winter. Rarely are big moves made, writes Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press.
But he notes that the names of some Tigers could surface in Florida as trade bait including Ian Kinsler, Nick Castellanos and Michael Fulmer, who has undergone surgery.
Each one of those players has helped the Tigers win plenty games.
Fenech writes of Kinsler:
Kinsler might not be traded many months from now; like last off-season, the Tigers might deem the trade market this winter lighter than in July, when a player like Kinsler could put a team over the top. The Tigers should trade Kinsler. They will trade Kinsler. But they should not trade him at a discounted rate months earlier than they need to just for the sake of trading him.
Kinsler is a premium player and is a good bet to bounce back. He is perhaps the final piece of the roster deconstruction Avila was tasked with.
