Mariners Rumors: Trading with the Tigers for Matthew Boyd

We’ve been going through a lot of potential trades and rumors lately for the Mariners, and that continues as we look at Matthew Boyd from the Detroit Tigers. If the Mariners make a move at the deadline, it’s likely going to be for a starting pitcher.

So, why Matthew Boyd? The Tigers are currently 40-51, sitting 15 games behind the division-leading Chicago White Sox, and 11 games back in the wild card race. Pending some insane 52-19 finish, they are out of the playoff race. If they have older players, over-performing players, or players about to hit free agency, it would benefit them in the long-term to trade them.

This is where Matthew Boyd would enter the Mariners plans

This is his age 30 season, and he will be arb 4 eligible this offseason. He’s unlikely to get the $17.5 million or so that players like Trevor Bauer and Francisco Lindor received. Where he could fall is in the Aaron Judge ($10.175 million) range or just shy of Corey Seager ($13.75 million).

Through 355.2 innings in 2018/19, Boyd registered a 4.52 ERA, a solid 1.195 WHIP, and a good K rate of 10k/9. His struggles are the long ball, giving up 66 home runs in that time frame. Throwing out last year, Boyd has been much better this season. A 3.44/3.75 ERA/FIP, changing how he throws to limit the long ball. His K’s are down to 7.1/9, but he is giving up home runs at a much lower rate. It was 1.7 per 9 innings in 2018/2019, and every 0.8 this year.

Getting a pitcher that has lowered his home run rate and turned up the ground ball rate is exactly what Seattle should be looking for. We will try and use baseballtradevalues.com as a monitoring point for these trades being reasonable. As I’ve done with guys like Adam Frazier and Jon Gray, let’s see what it would take for the Mariners to land Boyd from the Tigers.

Mariners Trade 1: Sheffield goes to Detroit

I’ve included Justus Sheffield in a lot of these offers, and it’s for a good reason. He is young, controllable, and very talented. Previously ranked quite highly in prospect rankings, he was the centerpiece of the James Paxton trade that the Mariners and Yankees made back in November of 2018.

He’s shown flashes in Seattle before going down with multiple injuries and now finds himself pushed back a bit in the Mariners plans. I’d love to see him stick around the rotation, but he might need a bit more seasoning. This is where Detroit comes in. They are a few years away from competing, but they’ve got a fantastic farm system. They and the Mariners were ranked in the top three this year behind the Rays.

Adding in Sheffield, he could become the defacto veteran to the likes of Skubal, Mize, Manning, Turnbull, and Wentz. Once he is healthy, he would slot right into their rotation and start eating up 5/6 innings a game.

Well, if things work out in Detroit, you should probably actually watch out for them in 2022-2023. Clearing Boyd out for Sheffield would have a strong young staff they could rely on going forward.

Mariners Trade 2: Stoudt and Perez to the Tigers

Levi Stoudt was arguably the most interesting prospect for the Mariners before the current season. He came in having thrown a total of zero professional innings, recovered from Tommy John surgery, and was ranked as their 12-16th prospect (depending on the site).

It didn’t take Stoudt long to show why he was ranked so highly by scouts. With a 60 grade changeup (that could still rank higher) and a fastball that might just touch 100, Stoudt has been shutting down the Everett competition in A ball. A 3.21 ERA, with 9.8K/9 and 6.8H/9 rates have impressed everyone that’s seen him. Even with 28 walks in 53.1 innings, his WHIP is just 1.275.

If Stoudt gets the accuracy under control, there’s no reason to think he wouldn’t push that group of pitchers mentioned on the last slide for a spot in the rotation in the near future.

Milkar Perez is more of a long-term addition, unlikely to reach the majors until 2024. He’s got a plus-plus arm at 3rd, with good power and run, and a little above average hit tool at 55. Only 19, there’s plenty of room for him to grow and turn into a legit hot-corner threat.