Detroit Tigers
After a surprise run to the playoffs in 2024 and a strong 2025 campaign that saw them fall just short of an ALCS appearance, the Detroit Tigers are knocking on the door of World Series contention, and with Tarik Skubal in the final year of his contract, now is the time to go and be aggressive.
The Tigers arguably have the best farm system in all of baseball, so their future is certainly bright, but as we all know, championship windows in baseball can shrink faster than you'd expect. With Skubal likely gone after 2026, they are losing an incredible piece of their roster soon, and it would be foolish not to try and take advantage of this window.
Trading for Contreras wouldn't cost the Tigers their top prospects like Kevin McGonigle or Max Clark, and with the wealth of position player prospects they have currently, it wouldn't really hurt to flip some of that talent into a current big thumper like Contreras. Must like the Red Sox, the Tigers are heavy on left-handed hitting in their lineup, and many of their top prospects also hit from the left side. Some right-handed balance being added to their mix would be huge.
If the Tigers acquired Contreras, he could split time between first base and designated hitter with Spencer Torkelson, while Kerry Carpenter mans right field on a regular basis. Depending on how the Tigers feel about Contreras' catching, they could even have him rotate in with Dillon Dingler and Jake Rogers to get their bats in the lineup.
One little hiccup I do see here is the presence of Jack Flaherty, who, I don't think it's a secret that the two did not have a great time together. I don't think this would necessarily stop a trade if Contreras and the Tigers see each other as a fit, but it certainly is something to think about.
