With the Detroit Tigers in first place and headed for a second-half battle with the Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox and maybe even the Minnesota Twins for the AL Central title, they will be buyers when the MLB trade deadline rolls around at the end of next month. What will they be interested in buying? It appears starting pitching is at the top of the list.
Many have considered the Tigers to be one of the teams most likely to make a deal with the New York Mets to trade for somebody like shortstop Jose Reyes. The Tigers could shift Jhonny Peralta over to second or third base, allowing Reyes to play shortstop and upgrade their lineup in a big way. However, according to Jon Paul Morosi, Reyes is not a player the Tigers are pursuing. Instead they are more interested in upgrading their rotation.
The Tigers aren’t actively pursuing Mets shortstop Jose Reyes and are instead looking at the market for starting pitchers, sources say.
Tigers officials seem content with their current level of offensive production. The team has scored 139 runs this month, second-most in the American League, and it’s possible that infielder Carlos Guillen (left knee microfracture surgery) will contribute during the second half.
Considering the Tigers have pulled Phil Coke from the rotation and are dealing with a struggling Rick Porcello, they could use another arm. The best-case scenario would be for Charlie Furbush to simply establish himself as a starter going forward and for the other pitchers to get it figured out. That would allow for the Tigers to consider pursuing Reyes, who has torched them the last couple of games. Of course, that is the best-case scenario for a reason. In all likelihood, the Tigers' rotation issues will linger all season unless a move or two is made.