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Report: Tigers' Kinsler drawing interest from Angels, Mets

Duane Burleson / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Earlier this month, Detroit Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler predicted there would be "a lot of rumors" about him this offseason, and, well, he was right.

Kinsler, the four-time All-Star heading into the final season of a five-year contract, is drawing trade interest from multiple clubs, including the Los Angeles Angels, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network. Sources also indicated that the Tigers have had preliminary trade talks with the New York Mets about Kinsler. It's not clear which other teams have expressed interest, though some are reportedly eyeing him as a potential fit at third base despite him having played just two innings at the position in 12 major-league seasons.

That said, the Angels would almost certainly want Kinsler to play second base. Last year, only two teams received less value out their second basemen than the Angels, who mostly cycled between Danny Espinosa, Cliff Pennington, and Kaleb Cowart before acquiring Brandon Phillips from Atlanta in August. Phillips, a three-time All-Star himself, is currently a free agent.

Name WAR AVG OBP SLG wRC+ PA
Kaleb Cowart 0.5 .225 .313 .382 89 117
Cliff Pennington 0.4 .253 .306 .330 73 217
Brandon Phillips 0.0 .255 .269 .382 72 105
Danny Espinosa -1.0 .162 .237 .276 38 254

How Kinsler fits into the Mets' lineup is a little more difficult to parse. The club is bringing back Asdrubal Cabrera, who will likely take over as their everyday third baseman, with youngster Amed Rosario poised to be their regular shortstop and the versatile Wilmer Flores expected to handle second base.

Moreover, Kinsler, who turns 36 in June, is coming off a substandard season. After finishing fourth at his position in WAR (5.7) in 2016, Kinsler hit just .236/.313/.412 (91 wRC+) with 22 home runs and 14 stolen bases last year with the Tigers, who effectively started rebuilding midway through the campaign by trading away both J.D. Martinez and Justin Verlander. He will make $11 million in 2018.

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