2022 Cleveland Guardians trade targets: catcher edition

Eric Haase (Detroit Tigers)

Boy, would a reunion with Haase be nice, and yet  kind of weird. Would the Tigers be willing to trade Haase back now that he has established himself? Possibly. But then again, why would they want to make it potentially more difficult to reach the playoffs, granted they are still likely a few years away from being true contenders?

Detroit just acquired Tucker Barnhart from the Reds and would seem to get the bulk of playing time this upcoming season. Jake Rogers and Dustin Garneau also find themselves on the Detroit 40-man roster. The Tigers also have Dillon Dingler, a top prospect, who looks to contribute possibly as soon as next season.

So what would it take to land Haase? Well, when Guardians radio announcer Tom Hamilton calls your club “Miggy and the Mudhens” probably anything, except for maybe shortstop – the Tigers did just sign Javier Báez. The Tigers do have a number of prospects on the verge of making it to the bigs, but having a few extra lottery tickets only helps their cause.

Haase is 29 and probably doesn’t truly fit Detroit’s contention timeline. However, he isn’t arbitration-eligible until 2024, and this past season, he hit 22 home runs in just 98 games. Granted, up to this point in his career, Haase never played more than ten games in an MLB season, so those numbers may be more of an aberration, too.