Yesterday there were rumblings of trade talks between the Tigers and Dodgers about second baseman Ian Kinsler. Those or any talks about Kinsler probably aren’t going anywhere unless someone ponies up a lot of money. That’s because, according to his agent, who spoke to Ken Rosenthal about it, Kinsler will not waive his limited no-trade clause unless he is given a contract extension.
Kinsler has one year and $16 million remaining on his contract. He’ll earn $11 million in 2017. In 2018, his controlling team has a $10 million club option with a $5 million buyout clause. Kinsler is certainly worth more on the market right now than $10 million so, given his no-trade protection, none of the ten teams on his no-trade list are going to be able to take advantage of that bargain, it seems.
Kinsler was outstanding in 2016. He won a Gold Glove and hit .288/.348/.484 (124 OPS+) with 28 home runs and 14 steals in 153 games. If the Tigers want to move him to a deep-pocketed contender -- the sorts of teams that usually wind up on players’ no-trade lists -- it’s gonna be a difficult task.
