Report: Tigers will make veterans available if under .500 after June

June is shaping up to be a critical 30 days for the Detroit Tigers.

The aging Tigers have been hovering around .500 for most of the 2017 season, and enter play Friday two games below the magic mark. That doesn't appear to be sitting well with management, as sources close to the club told Jon Morosi of MLB Network on Friday that if the Tigers remain under .500 by the end of June, the team will look to sell off its high-priced veteran players this summer.

Such a decision would be a reversal of course for general manager Al Avila, who flirted with tearing down his expensive, veteran-laden roster over the winter before ultimately keeping the team together. In November, Avila stated that his offseason goal was to "shed payroll," however that never happened, and the GM later said he wasn't given instructions from Tigers ownership to shed salary.

But with a perilously thin farm system and a lot of money tied up in talented players who are quickly getting older, it's possible the clock is indeed ticking toward the end of this era of Tigers baseball.

If they do tear it down, there would likely be plenty of suitors for their talented players. Some of the pieces who could be available this summer include 34-year-old franchise cornerstones Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander, both of whom remain at or near the top of their games despite onerous contracts. Verlander is owed another $56 million through 2019, along with a $22-million vesting option. Cabrera, meanwhile, has another seven years and $184 million left on his deal.

Some of the other expensive Tiger players who could be dealt include second baseman Ian Kinsler - who was prominently mentioned in trade rumors over the winter - along with outfielder Justin Upton, who's signed to another massive contract but is off to a much better start in 2017 after a rough first season in Motown.

J.D. Martinez, a pending free agent who's been red-hot since coming off the disabled list earlier this month, is also likely to draw significant interest if placed on the market.

The 22-24 Tigers currently own the fourth-highest payroll in baseball at $162,731,492, according to Spotrac.