The Detroit Tigers are going to be on the list of teams buying when the MLB trade deadline rolls around at the end of this month. Leading the AL Central, the Tigers are in good shape right now as far as the division race goes, but it will certainly be a battle in the second half of the season with the Indians and White Sox not far behind.
Considering how close things are and how much Detroit's rotation outside of Justin Verlander has struggled, it should come as no surprise that starting pitching is at the top of the Tigers' list of priorities for trades. Specifically, Jon Paul Morosi reports that the Tigers are maintaining their interest in Hiroki Kuroda of the Dodgers and have scouted "several" of his recent starts.
Kuroda is obviously not the only starting pitcher out there that could be traded, but for right now he seems to be drawing most of the Tigers' interest.
The Tigers are keener on Kuroda than the likes of Wandy Rodriguez, Brett Myers, Jeff Francis and Ryan Dempster, sources say. Also, Detroit is unlikely to trade for Seattle’s Erik Bedard – who is currently on the disabled list – in part because the Tigers’ deal for another Mariners lefty (Jarrod Washburn) didn’t pan out because of health reasons two years ago.
Although the Tigers' biggest need is starting pitching, they will also take a look at acquiring a position player, and Morosi reports that Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran is at the top of their "wish list." Even so, the Tigers are more concerned about their pitching for the time being, so any thoughts about acquiring Beltran appear to be on the back burner for now.