Bleacher Report’s latest offseason trade idea sends Zach McKinstry to the Dodgers, but that’s the kind of swap the Tigers would have little interest in entertaining.
McKinstry’s Detroit tenure has been a study in patience and payoff. Tigers fans spent part of 2023 and 2024 wondering whether his bat would ever catch up to his gloves, even as his defense kept him on the field. Jeff Greenberg stayed firm on his value, calling him their "most indispensable under-the-radar player" in 2024.
That faith paid off in 2025. McKinstry made the All-Star team and picked up a Silver Slugger as a utility player, with a .285 average and an .836 OPS at the break. His defense remained a plus everywhere they asked him to play.
This season was a different story offensively. McKinstry still covered ground at second base and in right field, among other spots, but he couldn’t match last year’s production. Over 129 games, he hit .199 with a .582 OPS.
Even with that dip, Detroit has good reason to keep him around. He’s heading into his final year of arbitration eligibility, so he should still be affordable, and if the Tigers move on from Matt Vierling, McKinstry becomes even more important as one of their true utility options.
Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller listed McKinstry as a Dodgers target in a roundup of each club’s "most likely" offseason trade, but the fit is hard to see. Los Angeles may need a superutility bench piece if it doesn’t bring back Kiké Hernández, yet a free-agent route would make more sense than trading for McKinstry.
And from Detroit’s side, the price would have to be awfully tempting to even get a conversation started. The Dodgers’ farm system might be strong enough to make a Tigers deal interesting in theory, but it’s still hard to imagine LA paying the asking price. It would be a surprise if the Dodgers were seriously engaged on him at all.
For the Tigers, McKinstry still checks too many boxes. He hustles, he grinds at-bats, and his versatility gives the roster flexibility. He might not start every day as younger players like Ben Malgeri and Brett Callahan develop, but Detroit would still value him as a late-inning defensive replacement or pinch-runner.
He’s the kind of player the Tigers are unlikely to give away, especially after the way he has carved out his role. As for that Dodgers trade idea? Not on his watch.
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