Detroit Tigers rumors: Justin Wilson linked with Houston Astros

Detroit Tigers rumors are here to stay. With the July 31 trade deadline fast approaching, there are rumors aplenty. According to a tweet from Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, Justin Wilson is being linked with Houston.

Detroit Tigers rumors are back.

Due to the team being somewhat buried in the standings, rumors regarding Tigers players are par for the course at this point.

The latest rumor regards left-handed reliever Justin Wilson.

According to a tweet on Friday morning from Fox Sports and MLB Network’s Ken Rosenthal, Wilson is a reported option for the Houston Astros.

Rosenthal tweeted the following on Friday:

"“Among #Astros’ bullpen targets, per sources: #Tigers’ Justin Wilson. Teams discussed him at winter meetings, could not agree on match.”"

Per Spotrac, Wilson is making $2.7 million this year. He’s arbitration eligible next season and will hit free agency the following year.

That kind of controllability could conceivably make Wilson a more attractive trade option than a rental. However, by the same token, he’d hypothetically command more in a deal than a rental.

It also doesn’t hurt that Wilson has been excellent at throwing a baseball this season.

The southpaw has been Detroit’s best reliever this year, posting a 0.8 WAR and a 36.6 strikeout percentage in 34.1 innings.

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He also owns a 2.36 ERA, a 2.94 FIP and a 3.25 xFIP to go along with 12.84 strikeouts per nine innings, a 36.1 ground ball percentage and a 0.93 WHIP.

Wilson is essentially everything a prospective team would want in a reliever. He throws hard, misses bats, can pitch in multiple innings and has closing experience.

Because of those attributes and his controllability, Detroit could possibly net an intriguing return.

Potential replacements

It remains to be seen just what will happen at the trade deadline, but if the Detroit Tigers trade Wilson, it will be interesting to see who the team replaces him with.

Shane Greene is the most obvious option, but the Tigers may not want to move him out of his Andrew Miller-like role.

Alex Wilson, Bruce Rondon or Daniel Stumpf are other options.

The team could also use Joe Jimenez at times in the ninth when he returns to the Majors to get him ready for a larger role in 2018.

Next: Tigers standouts from the first half

In a perfect world, Detroit would be able to net a promising bullpen piece in a deadline deal to immediately plug into the bullpen—similar to how the Yankees acquired Adam Warren and the Pirates brought in Felipe Rivero in the respective Aroldis Chapman and Mark Melancon trades.