At 46-47, it is beginning to look increasingly likely that the Detroit Tigers will be sellers at this year’s non-waiver trade deadline. A few of their hottest commodities include starting pitcher and ace David Price, outfielder Yoenis Cespedes and reliever Joakim Soria, all of whom are free-agents-to-be.

One guy they should label as an untouchable from the get-go, however, is J.D. Martinez. There have not been any serious rumors about the soon-to-be-28-year-old being on the move, but the Tigers need to make it clear that he is not available.

Ever since he was picked up by Detroit after the Houston Astros let him go in Spring Training of 2014, Martinez has been nothing short of spectacular. He came out of nowhere last season to hit .315 with 23 home runs and a .912 OPS, and he has managed to hit .287 with 27 home runs and a .911 OPS so far this season. He has been worth 3.9 fWAR already, and his defensive in right field has been quite underrated as well.

Now that Martinez has proven that he was not a fluke or a one-year wonder, most teams would probably love to have his bat in the middle of their lineup. Plus, unlike most of the other Tigers who are popping up in trade rumors these days, he wouldn’t be a mere two-month rental as he is under team control through the 2017 season.

While the Tigers could likely get a nice package of talent in return for Martinez, they need to keep him around. He has become a key part of the team’s nucleus, and he has the type of 40-plus home run power that is difficult to come by.

Heading into next season, the Tigers could have an extremely scary batting order once again with Martinez, Victor Martinez, and, of course, a healthy Miguel Cabrera. There is also the possibility that Steven Moya could take over for Cespedes in left field, and while he can certainly be expected to strike out quite a bit, he has the proverbial light-tower power as well. Plus, the Tigers have other solid offensive pieces in Ian Kinsler, Jose Iglesias, James McCann, Anthony Gose and potentially Nick Castellanos (if he can finally put it all together).

The truth is that if the Tigers can get some help in the starting rotation and in the bullpen, they could potentially emerge as AL Central favorites heading into 2016. While it may be time for a little bit of retooling, there is no need for a complete roster overhaul, and they need to build around their core players

Not only do the Tigers need to hold onto Martinez, it may actually be the time to start thinking about giving him an extension.

Brad Faber is a Senior Writer and Sabermetrics Columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Brad_Faber, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on LinkedIn or Google.