The Detroit Tigers had a picture-perfect season through the first 95 games or so, but they have struggled as of late, which has brought into focus potential moves they could make at the MLB trade deadline.
Detroit is still 62-46, which is a great record, and they are almost certainly going to make the playoffs. However, the Tigers should be thinking about the World Series, especially with a pitcher like Tarik Skubal, who could potentially take over in any playoff series.
The Arizona Diamondbacks have made it clear they are taking offers on all of their players on expiring contracts, and that leaves the potential for their ace, Merrill Kelly, to be a trade option for Detroit.
Tigers Have Shown Interest in Merrill Kelly
As just two days separate now between the trade deadline, the Detroit Tigers have reportedly shown interest in Kelly. Kelly is a hot commodity as the deadline approaches. Many teams are in dire need of starters, and every front office knows the Arizona Diamondbacks are willing to sell their tradable pieces.
Tigers’ starter Reese Olson is lost for the season, and Detroit made it evident they are willing to make trades already with their acquisition of Chris Paddack from the Minnesota Twins.
Kelly would be a great rotation upgrade and give Detroit one of the best one-two punches in the sport.
MLBtraderumors.com was first on the idea of Detroit being interested in Kelly, and here is what writer Mark Polishuk had to say about his upside:
“Adding Kelly would be a nice way to solidify the starting pitching situation, which in turn would indirectly also make things a little easier on Detroitâs struggling relief corps. Kelly has bounced back well from an injury-shortened 2024 season by posting a 3.22 ERA over 128 2/3 innings for the DâBacks this year. His 23.5% strikeout rate, 45% groundball rate, and 7.4% walk rate are all above league average, though a .247 BABIP has helped Kelly get away with allowing a lot of hard contact.”
The compelling factor of a trade idea like this is the fact that Kelly is a free agent after this season, which brings down the price just a bit. The Tigers have the trade capital to acquire him with a deep farm system. Another reason the Diamondbacks may be willing to send Kelly to the Tigers is that they are an American League team, and they may not be as willing to send him to a National League contender or a rival.
What Are the Tigersâ Deadline Plans?
Well, considering they have already made a deal for a starter, that is certainly a position they are looking to continue to improve. They are also looking for relief help and a third base bat.
At this time of year, every contending team is looking for relief help, but the Detroit Tigers’ bullpen has also been slipping a bit. Detroit has lost 13 of its last 16 contests, so nothing is off the table for a club that, again, has strong World Series aspirations.
The deadline is just two days away, and expect the Tigers to continue being active.
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