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Shane Greene hasn’t had the most consistent career — he was traded from the Yankees to the Tigers after his rookie season, struggled as a starter before being moved to the bullpen for good in 2016, and has never had back-to-back good seasons. This much is true, though: Greene has been one of the best closers in baseball this season.
The 30-year-old was recently named to his first AL All-Star team, and though he was selected by the commissioner’s office so that the Tigers would have their required representative, he’s fully deserving of the honor. Over 31 games, he has a 0.87 ERA — by far a career-best — with a 0.84 WHIP, a .152 opponent batting average, 32 strikeouts, and just nine walks in 31 innings. He ranks fifth in the majors with 22 saves.
Greene has arguably been the Tigers’ most important contributor this season, but there’s not a whole lot of use for an elite closer on a team that’s one of the worst in baseball, and the Tigers fit that description, currently possessing a 27-52 record with a disastrous -150 run differential. And he’s getting older — he’ll be 31 in November — so even if he’s still around the next time Detroit is competitive, it’s possible that he’ll be past his prime by then.
Greene has one arbitration year left before he hits free agency, so the Tigers don’t absolutely have to trade him this summer. But he’ll be due a substantial raise this offseason — since owner Mike Ilitch passed away in 2017, his family has generally kept things tight financially — and his value very likely will never be higher than it is right now, when he’s an All-Star, has an ERA under 1.00, and has blown just one save in 23 opportunities. And with so many teams having bullpen issues this season, a reliever who has been as consistent as Greene has this season should be extremely desirable to contenders.
With that in mind, where do you think Detroit will deal Greene this summer?
Poll
Where will the Tigers trade Shane Greene?
This poll is closed
-
17%
Dodgers
(134 votes) -
8%
Brewers
(61 votes) -
9%
Phillies
(74 votes) -
7%
Cardinals
(53 votes) -
16%
Red Sox
(126 votes) -
9%
Twins
(75 votes) -
25%
Other
(188 votes) -
5%
He’s not getting traded
(41 votes)