John Lannan Rumors: Tigers Still Showing Interest in Lannan

Despite Chien-Ming Wang’s hamstring injury, the John Lannan trade rumors refuse to die.  Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reported last night that the Detroit Tigers continue showing interest in Lannan.  While Heyman said Tigers manager and GM Jim Leyland and Dave Dombrowski may be comfortable letting a youngster claim their fifth starter spot, owner Mike Ilitch’s “win-now attitude” may push the club to pursue a veteran alternative.  Beyond the Tigers, Heyman lists the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays as clubs interested in starting pitching.

Over and over again, Leyland and Dombrowski have said how comfortable they are going with a Jacob Turner or Andy Oliver at the back end of their rotation.  Turner’s arm injury has eliminated him from the competition, but Oliver, Drew Smyly and Duane Below are all still being considered.

But, if Ilitch has his way once again, which usually seems to happen when you’re the owner, Heyman believes Detroit will try and acquire a more known quantity to fill out their rotation.  This offseason the club has been tied to Matt Garza and other hurlers.

On the Nationals side of things, Heyman admitted that the club may be “slightly less inclined” to part with Lannan now that Wang is slated to miss that start of the regular season.  However, Washington has several young up-and-coming arms, and Heyman wouldn’t be surprised to see the club trade Lannan and go with Ross Detwiler at the back of their rotation.

For more on the Nationals and Tigers, be sure to check out Motor City Bengals and District on Deck.

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