This Astros-Tigers Trade for Matthew Boyd Could Actually Work

The Detroit Tigers are still years away from competing after a disastrous 47-114 season in 2019. That means the plan should be to acquire young talent for cheap and continue the rebuild in 2020.

One trade candidate on the team is pitcher Matthew Boyd, who is 29 years old and under team control through 2022. One team that comes up as a logical destination for the left-hander is the Houston Astros, who will need another arm with Gerrit Cole now on the Yankees and Justin Verlander on the shelf with an injury.

Boyd has a career 4.92 ERA, which isn't great, but let's not forget he's on the black hole that is the Tigers. We've seen this guy's stuff and know it's legit. He'd be a welcomed addition to the back end of the Astros rotation, but what will it take for Houston to acquire him?

A possible package from the Astros would include outfielder Kyle Tucker as the centerpiece. He saw limited major league action in 2018 and 2019, but saw brief playing time in last year's World Series. The No. 5 overall pick in the 2015 MLB Draft is only 23 years old and would get regular playing time in Detroit to help further develop his game. Right now he's essentially blocked from playing in Houston given the current roster.

The Astros would likely have to include another player, which could be pitcher Bryan Abreu, who has logged reps as a starter and reliever in his career. The 22-year-old is the No. 5-ranked prospect in the Astros and he made seven appearances in 2019, allowing only one run in 8.2 innings.

The Tigers don't have to bite on a Boyd trade this year. However, such a package from the Astros would be tough to turn down. Detroit would get two young players under team control until the team should be competitive again, while Houston gets an experienced starter and maintains a fairly solid farm system.