Detroit Tigers: What Should be their Trade Deadline Plan?

The Detroit Tigers are one of the more fascinating playoff contenders in the MLB. They have a powerful offense that is capable of putting up crooked numbers on the board at any given time, as they’ve done for the past four or five seasons. But they once again have a sub par bullpen that is holding them back of making them true contenders to do damage in the postseason. Is this team capable of going on a run with a few trades or should they take a different approach?

The Detroit Tigers have had a similar team for the past few seasons. They’ve had some of the best offenses that the game has had to offer, but has been limited because of a shaky bullpen and spotty starting pitching. Last year, Detroit opted to sell at the last moments before the MLB trade deadline, trading away Yoenis Cepsedes to the Mets for starting pitching prospect Michael Fulmer. This looks to be a wise decision now seeing that Fulmer is the prohibitive front-runner for the AL Rookie of the Year. But, is selling the right move for the franchise in 2016? Let’s take a look at the roster.

Led by a powerful lineup, Detroit offers many all-star caliber hitters at many different positions. Miguel Cabrera is still one of the best first baseman in the world as he continues to hit around the .300 mark, while probably adding 30 or more home runs this season. Ian Kinsler, despite missing the all-star game, continues to be one of the most underrated hitters in all of baseball, as he has a top ten in on-base percentage among second baseman and is second among players at his position in hitting the long ball with 20. Victor Martinez is still putting up gaudy numbers at the plate, hitting for a .291 batting average with 17 dingers. Nick Castellanos and Cameron Maybin have produced much more than expected as well, making this one of the best batting orders out there. This is also without mentioning right fielder J.D. Martinez, who is currently sitting on the disabled list. However, their starting rotation isn’t as solid.

Michael Fulmer has pitched tremendously, especially in the past two months. Besides a blip a couple of days ago against the White Sox, the rookie right hander has gone at least six innings in eight of his past ten starts, allowing no more than two earned runs in each of those ten outings. Justin Verlander has bounced back from a down year in 2015 and has been a calming veteran presence.

Outside of these two, the rotation has been nothing but a disappointment. Anibal Sanchez should be placed in long relief even with the money that he is earning, Mike Pelfrey should not be in the starting rotation as he has provided no hope for a turnaround and some of their younger hurlers in Matt Boyd and Daniel Norris have not shown that they are ready to be relied upon as starters in a playoff race. The Tigers certainly needs to add at least one arm, and probably two for their pitching staff. The team also has to be concerned with the health of Jordan Zimmerman, whom they inked to a long-term contract this past winter.

Relief pitching has been another problem that this club can’t seem to crack. Each year, they mix up the bullpen, but the results are always below average. Francisco Rodriguez is steady in the ninth inning and Justin and Alex Wilson do well in their roles, but their pen can be much improved. They lack a dominant arm at the end of the game, where the club knows that they are going to get three outs.

The likes of Wade Davis, Andrew Miller and Zach Britton have changed baseball with the way they suck the life out of a lineup when they trot onto the mound. Relief pitching is one of the few positions that has some options on the trade market, so the Detroit Tigers have the ability to improve in an area that has haunted them year after year.

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Is it the right move to buy though? Detroit has one of the worst farm systems in Major League Baseball and they have a lot of needs to address on their roster. If the Tigers wish to truly contend for a playoff spot and have aspirations of winning a few series in the playoffs, they realistically need to add at least three more pitchers, depending on whether they zone in on starters or relievers. They have a few promising prospects in Matt Manning and Beau Burrows, who were the club’s last two first round picks. The young hurlers both have electric stuff, but are far away from contributing at the major league level.

Outfielder Derek Hill is another long-term option that the club might be able to trade away for a solid relief pitcher. Still the problem remains that one addition won’t elevate the Tigers to being a real threat in the American League. Making short-term deals will also take away from a minor league system that already doesn’t have many desirable pieces, which makes buying for this season seem much less viable.

Currently, Detroit is sitting just a few games out of the last wild card spot with just the Houston Astros, Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox in front of them. However, all three of these teams have been playing well of late and don’t show any signs of fading fast. Detroit is in a tough spot, but the right course of action is to be on the lookout for controllable players that can help the Tigers compete this season and at least for 2017. A starting pitcher like Dan Straily, who’s controlled until 2021 may not be a sexy option, but he is cheaper than most starters out on the block. He fits perfectly in terms of need and price.

Jeanmar Gomez and Fernando Abad are bullpen options that are controllable past this season as well. The Tigers could be in play for them with the amount of relievers available. Players like this should be the realistic targets for the franchise. Al Avila would be wise by not making any shrewd short-term moves based on where they are in the postseason picture and the needs of their roster. However, selling would also be a blow for a team that still has a few years to be competitive.

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What do you think the Detroit Tigers should do at the trade deadline? Let us know in the comment section below.

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