Friday, August 01

The strange relationship between the Tigers and MLB’s Trade Deadline renews this week, this time with a plot twist.

A year ago, the Tigers sold off their veterans at the Deadline, opened opportunities for their young players, then went on their incredible late-season run to the postseason with help from one of the prospects they acquired at the Deadline. Trey Sweeney, part of the Jack Flaherty trade, was a hero during their critical September series win in Baltimore.

This year, the Tigers are no longer a Cinderella story but one of the top contenders of the American League. They’re clearly buyers, but there’s a nuance to their shopping: How much should the Tigers focus on bulking up their roster to finish off the AL Central race and try to take the AL’s top seed, or at least a first-round bye? Or, how much should the Tigers focus their dealings on building the best possible team for an October run?

They’re not one and the same. A deep five-man rotation can be critical to regular-season success.

Come October, however, teams turn to three- or four-man rotations, and September’s fifth starter often becomes October’s long reliever, or even a taxi squad member. Relief depth is king, and bench players – already important in the regular season for manager A.J. Hinch – take on a greater priority for late-game matchups and maneuvers.

Until the past week or so, the Trade Deadline goal looked obvious: Build for a long run in October. Then a 1-12 stretch whittled Detroit’s division lead in half and created some suspense in the Tigers’ path to a second straight postseason berth. Then came news that Reese Olson has a shoulder strain that will sideline him for at least the rest of the regular season, and Parker Meadows has a right quad strain that will sideline him for at least 10 days.

The Tigers acquired right-hander Chris Paddack from the Twins on Monday to help fill Olson’s void. But they’ll still need to figure out how to best assemble a rotation for the playoffs, whether that means the innings-eating Paddack, the electric arm of rookie Troy Melton, or another addition.

Here are four questions ahead of Thursday’s 6 p.m. ET Deadline:

What's the priority?

Like most contenders, the Tigers are expected to place an emphasis on fortifying their bullpen. They’ve leaned heavily on Will Vest, Tommy Kahnle, Tyler Holton and Chase Lee in leverage situations this season. While Kahnle and Holton have shown signs of rebounding from early-summer hiccups, hitters have seemingly adjusted to the sidearming Lee with more looks. The circle of trust needs to expand.

That doesn’t necessarily mean the Tigers have to add a traditional closer. Hinch uses his bullpen differently than most managers, which gives president of baseball operations Scott Harris flexibility to find relievers who fit their scheme whether they fill traditional roles or not. The Tigers arguably need to add strikeouts more than saves. All-Star closers Ryan Helsley (Cardinals) and David Bednar (Pirates) offer that in abundance, but so does Rockies setup man Jake Bird. The prices on closers were already high before Baltimore’s Felix Bautista and Cleveland’s Emmanuel Clase dropped off the market.

How important is adding a bat?

While the Tigers could use another hitter amidst this month’s hitting struggles, it’s not expected to be the top priority. Former Tigers prospect turned All-Star third baseman and Diamondbacks slugger Eugenio Suárez could give his original team a power boost, and the Tigers get an up-close look at him this week. But with teams like the Mariners and Cubs also potentially looking to add a bat, the Tigers could be forced to weigh whether it’s worth giving up highly-rated prospects.

The Tigers could also opt for a more versatile bat. Switch-hitting Willi Castro, who became an All-Star with the Twins after being non-tendered by the Tigers a few years ago, entered Monday with a 110 OPS+ while playing at six positions this season, including third and center. The Paddack trade showed the divisional rivals can swing a deal with rental players on the verge of free agency, which Castro fits.

Do the Tigers still need rotation help?

That’s the big question coming out the Olson injury and Paddack trade. While the 29-year-old Paddack provides stretch-run stability and postseason experience – a start in 2020 with the Padres and two Division Series relief appearances in 2023 with the Twins – his up-and-down 2025 season and career-low strikeout rate raise questions whether the Tigers could look for more help. But many starters on the trade market carry their own questions, such as Miami’s Sandy Alcantara or Arizona’s Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen. It’s a matter of which questions the Tigers can live with for the price.

Will the Tigers deal top prospects?

Harris went through this tug of war on the selling end at last year’s Deadline, taking Flaherty all the way up the minutes before 6 p.m. before getting Thayron Liranzo and Sweeney from the Dodgers. Liranzo rode a late-season tear and Arizona Fall League stint to Top 100 prospect status, but only one Top 100 prospect was dealt anywhere at the Deadline.

Now a buyer, Harris has one of baseball’s top farm systems at his disposal, including five Top 100 prospects. Max Clark, Kevin McGonigle and Josue Briceño are seen as future franchise cornerstones and are likely off-limits, while Bryce Rainer is injured. There is some intrigue in the market whether Liranzo could be available, particularly if Briceño has a legitimate chance to stick at catcher. But with depth in the farm system, Harris should have options dealing from the next tier of prospects.

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