From now until baseball’s July 31st trade deadline, we’ll provide a roundup and analysis of the hottest rumors involving the hometown Detroit Tigers.
Since it was last reported a few weeks ago that the Detroit Tigers were zeroing in on Jonathan Papelbon as their biggest trade target, rumblings about other bullpen moves have been few and far between.
Tuesday, that changed a bit, as it was revealed by Jon Paul Morosi of Fox Sports that the Tigers were scouting some Milwaukee Brewers’ bullpen options, as well. A trio of seasoned relief pitchers are said to interest Detroit. Closer Francisco Rodriguez, setup man John Axford and part-time closer Jim Henderson all could be on the docket if the teams ever reach the point of discussing a deal.
Out of the bunch, Rodriguez would make the most sense if the Tigers are looking for an established closer. Since assuming that role for the Brewers, Rodriguez is 9-9 in save opportunities, posting a miniscule 1.25 ERA with a solid 25 strikeouts. The next best option, purely from a numbers standpoint, would likely be Henderson. The 30 year old has 10 saves in 13 opportunities this year. He also features a low 1.95 ERA and has struck out 33 batters. Axford is the wild card of the bunch. Occupying the closer role from 2010-2012, he amassed 105 saves, but was removed due to control problems which has led to an elevated ERA.
Each of these relief options will likely be considered among the most affordable contractually on the market. Axford is being paid the most in 2013 at $5 million dollars, but both Rodriguez and Henderson are owed less than $1 million this season, meaning Detroit may be able to swing a deal for multiple pieces should they choose that avenue. It would be an interesting choice to make.
As it relates to upgrading their shaky bullpen, which was exposed again Tuesday night in Detroit’s embarrassing 11-4 loss to the Chicago White Sox, trying to pry multiple arms from a team might be the best course of action, as more than just closer help seems to be needed. Al Alburquerque and Phil Coke have each been very erratic recently holding leads and keeping the team in games, and though Joaquin Benoit is perfect in save opportunities and pitching well, Detroit would likely want to be able to return him to the setup role for the stretch run if at all possible.
The Tigers’ choice as it regards to bullpen help seems to be taking two divergent paths. Either they try to win the bidding for the expensive and elite Papelbon, or score a few underrated, cheaper options from a team like Milwaukee. Dave Dombrowski will likely be keeping his ear to the ground in the weeks ahead.
Max DeMara is a senior editor at The Detroit Sports Site. You can find him on Twitter @SportsGuyTheMax