Going Off The Rails On A Crazy Trade, Part 1.

I hate the offseason. Hate hate hate it. Every month in between the last pitch of the World Series and the first pitch of Spring Training feels like a decade. Of course, there's the salve of the Hot Stove, and the constant rumors flying around about which free agent will sign with what team, or which player(s) will be traded and where, soothe my soul considerably. It's not much, but I'll take it.

Invariably, though, the offseason provides the less intelligent fans of this great sport with ample opportunity to wax moronic about these wheelings and dealings. Bad MLB (@BadMLB) is a wonderful Twitter account that corrals many of these hilarious trade proposals in one convenient location, and is a must follow for any baseball fan as cynical as I am. There's simply no shortage of awful trade ideas in our collective fandom.

So, if you'll allow me, I'd like to start adding some of my own.

Now, some of these trades might actually make a little bit of sense. Unlike many of my fellow bloggers, I'm not in the market to display my dearth of baseball knowledge; it should be apparent by now that I kind of know what I'm talking about when it comes to what happens on the diamond. These are simply ideas that I (or those close to me on a comparable level of understanding) think are worth exploring, if only in the alcoves of this insignificant, unimportant website. 

With that in mind, here's an interesting proposal courtesy of my younger brother: Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler and cash to the Braves for catcher Evan Gattis and reliever Chasen Shreve.

It's no secret that second base has been a vacuous hole in Atlanta since the end of the 2010 season. The deal for Dan Uggla might not have even been made had Brooks Conrad not punted some easy plays during that season's NLDS loss to a Giants team en route to their first of 3 WS titles in 5 years. But he did, it was, and here we are on the other side. Even though the Bravos gave up little of consequence (unless you count Omar Infante taking two teams to the Fall Classic, neither of which were the Marlins), the Uggla deal will likely stand as the worst trade-and-sign in franchise history. Sure, he was the first second baseman with 5 consecutive seasons of 30+ home runs. Of course, his 33-game hit streak in 2011 was damn impressive. He was even the starting second baseman for the NL in the 2012 All-Star Game (admittedly, Rafael Furcal was the starting shortstop, so it wasn't a particularly strong year for middle infielders in the Senior Circuit). But his shoddy defense, combined with a batting average that never strayed too far away from the Mendoza line, made him an easy target for fan frustration. He was benched during the 2013 NLDS loss to the Dodgers, and released halfway through this season. He's still owed $15 million next year. The Braves are not a big-market team; what amounts to a rounding error for the Yankees can crush Atlanta for longer than you might think. At this point, it seems nigh impossible to recoup any value from Dan's time at the Ted.

Kinsler, while no spring chicken himself, is still performing at an All-Star level. Although the power he displayed in 2009 (31 homers) and 2011 (32 homers) continues to elude him, he still knocked in 92 runs and scored 100 for a Tigers team that lacked the offensive punch it had when Prince Fielder was still clogging up the cold corner. Although he is extremely pop-up friendly, and his days of going 30-30 are most likely over, his triple slash line makes him look like Rogers Hornsby compared to Uggly. He's also been one of the best defensive second basemen in the game over the last several seasons (UZR has him at 19.5 for 2014, and DRS has him pegged at 71 runs saved, both career highs by a mile), and he can still steal a good number of bases. His contract would be somewhat prohibitive as well, since he's owed $41 million through 2017, with a $12 million team option ($5 million buyout) for 2018. Again, chump change for a Detroit team that seems to stay solvent while the city around it crumbles, but a huge commitment for the smaller-market Braves. Thus, the kicking in of cash. The Tigers might have to agree to eat at least half the contract for this deal to go down. What they would get in return, though, might be the final pieces necessary to propel them back into the World Series.

Don't worry, I didn't know this was Chasen Shreve either.

Gattis has been an absolute force in Atlanta over the last two seasons, blasting 43 home runs in just 723 at-bats over that span. He's a bit of a defensive liability behind the plate and in left field, but with the added benefit of the DH spot in the AL, he would provide a much cheaper alternative for the Tigers than resigning Victor Martinez after an MVP-caliber season. Even considering the money Detroit would send to Atlanta in this scenario, they'd have enough cash freed up to take a flyer on some middle-tier free agents such as Melky Cabrera (a switch hitter like V-Mart who can also play a solid left or center field) or Asdrubal Cabrera (who's had success in the AL Central and shown some pop in his career) to add some lineup protection for Gattis and Miguel Cabrera (...Cabrera). I shouldn't have to explain why the Tigers could use Shreve, a young, solid, left-handed reliever, but I will anyway (much to nobody's surprise): the big story surrounding Detroit's early exit from this year's playoffs, and indeed their unceremonious defeats every year since 2011, is their lack of a dominant bullpen. The team has had disgustingly powerful lineups, and rotations to match (pre-Justin Verlander meltdown), but handing any lead to their late-inning guys has long been a recipe for disaster. They sought to remedy that this past offseason, bringing Joba Chamberlain and Joe Nathan on board, and they traded for Joakim Soria when the former duo predictably blew up. Alas, it was to no avail. Al Albuquerque, aside from having a name that is a pain in the ass to type, was of little consequence (admittedly, he lowered his ERA a full 2 runs from 2013), Bruce Rondon still had trouble harnessing his blazing fastball, and even hardcore Tigers fans couldn't identify Blaine Hardy by looks alone. Hardy was the lone lefty until Kyle Lobstein was taken out of the rotation. Shreve, while only appearing in 15 games as a midseason callup, notched a 0.73 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 12 1/3 innings (good for a 10.9 K/9). It wasn't just luck, either: he had a FIP of 1.43. 12 1/3 innings is an incredibly small sample size, but for a 23 year old, it's nothing to turn your nose up at.

This trade won't happen. Kinsler just arrived in Detroit this time last year and made a great first impression. Gattis will fetch much more in a trade than an over-the-hill middle infielder and salary relief. And Shreve could be the next sturdy bridge to infallible closer Craig Kimbrel. But a man can dream, right? Stay tuned for our next installment, where we'll discuss another insane trade possibility that might not seem so crazy when you really look at it.