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Atlanta Braves Want Pitching: Could Aim for Justin Verlander

By Ryan Cothran

Sep 28, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Justin Verlander (35) smiles from the dugout before the game against the Cleveland Indians at Comerica Park. Game called for bad weather after 5 innings. Tigers win 6-3. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 28, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Justin Verlander (35) smiles from the dugout before the game against the Cleveland Indians at Comerica Park. Game called for bad weather after 5 innings. Tigers win 6-3. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jun 9, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) talks with San Diego Padres Justin Upton (10) after a single by Upton in the third inning of their game at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 9, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) talks with San Diego Padres Justin Upton (10) after a single by Upton in the third inning of their game at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /

Ugly Numbers

Take one look at the Detroit Tigers payroll over the last few years and one can see that Avila’s concerns are valid.  Just last year, their payroll jumped over 200 million.

Just 5 years ago, their payroll sat at 112 million. That’s over a 90 million dollar increase in half a decade!  Madness.

But there’s an elephant in this room, and although I don’t recall any “small” elephants, this one is MASSIVE. Below are the list of players  that have no trade clauses for the Detroit Tigers:

Yes. These are their 5 highest paid players. In 2017 alone, those 5 will cost Detroit 114 million dollars, and will cost that much through at least 2020. Brutal!

If the Tigers are going to cut payroll long-term and get younger, it’s going to have to come at the expense of these players, and trading one of them might not be enough as Detroit already has 176 million committed to the 2017 payroll and that isn’t factoring in Cameron Maybin‘s 9 million dollar option, Francisco Rodriguez‘s 6 million dollar option, or their 6 arbitration eligible players.

Who Else Could Avila Be Thinking About?

Anibal Sanchez?  Possible, but didn’t have a great year.  J.D. Martinez?  Sure, but not of interest to the Braves.  Ian Kinsler?  Ditto.

It’s worth noting that both Justin Upton and Jordan Zimmermann have just signed with the Tigers and it’s not common practice to trade players 1 year into their new deals.  While it’s possible that they could be shopped considering the tone in Avila’s quote, I wouldn’t bank on it.  Both Victor Martinez and Justin Verlander make the most sense, but we’ll only discuss one of those in today’s exercise.

So what do you do with an aging, expensive MLB team that fell short of the 2017 playoffs that has a weak farm system?

I think we all know the answer.  SELL!!!!  And I think the Braves can help.

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