The Detroit Tigers have their eyes set on an American League Pennant. They are in the middle of a chase for the best overall seed in the AL, and essentially have things wrapped up in the AL Central. However, that doesn’t mean the front office isn’t thinking about the offseason and what potential big splashes they could make.
The Baltimore Orioles recently signed their new top prospect, Samuel Basallo, to an eight-year extension before he even played 15 career MLB games. This has led to speculation about what the Orioles may do with some of their other stars needing contracts. If you remember correctly, the Orioles cleared house at the 2025 trade deadline, which may signal that bigger moves are in store following the season.
Tigers Trade Idea Lands Adley Rutschman
Former No.1 overall draft pick from Oregon State, Adley Rutschman, is starting to become the subject of trade rumors for several reasons. First off, he needs an extension soon, and secondly, his performance has regressed over the past three seasons + injuries have derailed his time on the field.
In a recent Bleacher Report article, writer Zachary D. Rymer lists potential landing spots for Adley Rutschman, and the Detroit Tigers appear on the list:
The Tigers have gotten solid production at catcher in 2025, and Dillon Dingler has a lot to do with that. He has a solid .745 OPS and 11 home runs. Yet whereas his defensive skills are genuinely strong, Dingler’s offensive profile is built upon a volatile approach. He basically doesn’t take walks (4.5 BB%) and he swings and misses a lot, so Detroit should be skeptical of his future as a regular. Even in what has otherwise been a lost year, Rutschman still has better-than-average walk (10.6) and strikeout (15.8) percentages. As they have the fifth-lowest walk-to-strikeout ratio in the league, the Tigers should want those qualities. Otherwise, they could hope that they could energize Rutschman more than most teams. After all, who wouldn’t want to go from one of the AL’s worst teams to one of its best?”
Should the Tigers Want Rutschman?
Sure, Adley Rutschman plays excellent defense and has shown the ability in his two all-star appearances to hit for power and have an OPS over .800, which is stellar for a catcher. Things have not been the same for Adley in the last three seasons.
Rymer outlines it perfectly in the trade piece. In his first 346 games for the Orioles, Adley had an OPS+ of 130, but in his last 154, it is down to 79. His fWAR was 13.9 in those first three seasons, but he had bad regression at the end of last season, and is going to finish this season with a WAR lower than 2.0.
In major hitting categories like OPS, SLUG, HR’s, doubles, and runs, Rutschman has regressed in each of the past two seasons. Injuries limit his time on the field, and consequently, many question whether his future in Baltimore remains uncertain. Furthermore, Mike Elias, the Orioles‘ executive vice president and general manager, may explore a trade this winter.
Detroit Tigers Trade Idea Lands Orioles’ Two-Time All-Star