Until about two weeks ago, Detroit Tiger fans didn’t quite know what to make of Nick Castellanos. Everyone knew that he was the top hitting prospect in the farm system, but no one had a sense of how good he could really be. This was until the 2012 All-Star Futures Game. In the annual minor league showcase of top-tier young talent, Castellanos went 3-for-4 with a three-run home run, turning heads left and right in the Motor City.
Everyone has an opinion about the 20-year-old slugger now.
[caption id="attachment_294" align="alignright" width="186" caption="Nick Castellanos has moved from third base to right field in order to clear the way for a possible MLB promotion. (credit: hueytaxi/flickr)"]
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For the Tigers, Castellanos’ coming out party at the Futures Game couldn’t have been better timed. The Major League Baseball trade deadline is right around the corner and it’s no secret; the Tigers brass is in the hunt for another starting pitcher. Names like Wandy Rodriguez and Clayton Richard have been thrown around in trade talks as of late, but acquiring mediocre, back-of-the-rotation type arms such as those would not cost the Tigers the services of Castellanos. It damn well better not, anyway. But when you bring in the heavy artillery, names like Zack Greinke and Cole Hamels, these are the names that have Detroit fans buzzing.
Both Greinke and Hamels will be free agents after this season. Both will be demanding long-term contracts, upwards of $100 million. Say hypothetically the Tigers did send a package including Castellanos to Milwaukee and received Greinke in return. With his price tag being so high, there is a very realistic chance that Greinke could pack his bags and jet out of town for a better offer this off-season, making for a tremendously costly rent-a-player.
So with that being said, should the Tigers take the risk and dangle a talent as elite as Castellanos to acquire one of these guys?
The answer is yes.
As good a prospect as Castellanos may be, and is proving to be, he is still just that; a prospect. There is no guarantee that he will slug at the same rate in Detroit as he is in Triple-A Toledo. Tiger fans have more than likely seen the influx of young phenoms like Bryce Harper and Mike Trout run rampant this season, and it’s only natural to want to bring up a stud like that of your own and reap the benefits. But for an owner who wants to win now, and has made that very clear (see Prince Fielder signing), trading a prospect for a piece that makes you a bona fide title contender is something you don’t think twice about.
Does anyone remember a few years back when the Tigers were rumored to send Rick Porcello and Jacob Turner to the Blue Jays for a guy named Roy Halladay, but wouldn‘t pull the trigger? Yeah, how did holding on to your top young prospects work out for you there? When you are a piece or two away from winning a championship and you are in the position to acquire All-Star caliber talent for a prospect, you do it, plain and simple.
MLB’s non-waiver trade deadline is at 4 p.m. EST on July 31.
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