Detroit Tigers: Which Tampa Bay Starting Pitcher is Best Fit?

Detroit Tigers starting pitchers have started to turn things around, but with Jordan Zimmermann and Daniel Norris currently on the disabled list, Detroit needs more pitching. The Rays can help.

Detroit Tigers players enter Tuesday second in the American League Central with a 44-39 record. Additionally, the team is only one game back of Toronto for the second of the two Wild Card spots.

While the Tigers are in the thick of the playoff race, one team that hasn’t been so hot this season are the Tampa Bay Rays. Only the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Minnesota Twins own fewer totals wins in the junior circuit.

The Scott Kazmir all the way to David Price, the Rays have a long history of trading away pieces. With the team so far out of the race, it wouldn’t be a shock to see Tampa make some moves in order to better position themselves for coming seasons.

It looks like the Rays could be heading in that directing. Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal tweeted, “Sources: #Rays actively discussing starting pitchers, looking to jump market with so few quality starters available.”

When healthy, Tampa Bay has as many as seven quality starters in Chris Archer, Alex Cobb, Jake Odorizzi, Drew Smyly, Matt Moore, Blake Snell and Erasmo Ramirez.

Right off the bat, Snell and Cobb are out of the question for the Tigers. Snell is one of the game’s best prospects, and owns a 3.86 ERA in the first five starts of his career at the big league level while Cobb is coming off Tommy John surgery last May.

That leaves Archer, Cobb, Odorizzi, Smyly and Ramirez.

Related Story: Why Ramirez is a Fit for the Tigers

Given the fact that both Jordan Zimmermann wand Daniel Norris were recently placed on the 15-day disabled list, the Tigers could certainly use some starting pitching help reinforcements.

Are any of the five Tampa Bay starters a fit in Detroit?

Chris Archer

If the Detroit Tigers can somehow acquire Chris Archer without giving up too much in return, it would be an obvious win.

Despite a 36-43 career record, Archer is a legitimate frontline pitcher.  From 2013 to 2015, the starter posted a 3.26 ERA, a 3.36 FIP, a 9.1 WAR and only 176 walks in 535.1 innings pitched. He struck out 526 batters over the same span.

Things haven’t exactly gone to plan this season as Archer’s ERA has ballooned to 4.50, and he’s already on the hook for 11 losses. However, there are signs that the former Cleveland prospect is turning things around.

The 27-year-old currently leads the American League with 127 total strikeouts and 11 strikeouts per nine innings.

Archer would seem like an intriguing trade target for the Tigers in the sense that he could provide ace-like production while conceivably costing less than an ace would on the trade market.

Despite that, the cash-strapped Rays might just hold on to Archer. In another tweet, Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal wrote that of Tampa Bay’s starters, “Archer probably least likely to go; contract too good for TB.”

The ace is controllable through 2021 on a contract that is extremely team-friendly considering what free agents are fetching on the open market.

A trade centered around Daniel Norris and Archer would certainly be interesting considering that the Rays pitcher is still only 27 and under team control for so long, however it seems unlikely that Archer will be dealt.

Matt Moore

The Tampa Bay Rays like to lock up pitchers early, signing them to contracts that often end up being extremely team-friendly down the line. Archer is a prime example of this, as is the next name on this list—Matt Moore.

Inked to a long-term deal before the 2012 season, the pitcher excelled during the two following seasons. From 2012 to 2013, Moore won 28 games, posted a 3.57 ERA and struck out 318 batters in 327.2 innings pitched. His best campaign came in the second year of that two-year period, when the left-hander compiled a 17-4 record en route to finishing ninth in the Cy Young voting.

After 2013, injuries and inconsistencies set in. Moore had Tommy John surgery and was limited to just two starts in 2014. The All-Star has made just 29 starts dating back to the beginning of last season. Over those 29 starts, Moore has pitched to a 4.88 ERA and 139 strikeouts in 166 innings pitched.

If the left-hander can post numbers similar to those that he put up in 2012 and 2013, he’d be a fantastic acquisition to the Tigers pitching staff.

Compared to Archer and Odorizzi, Moore would likely be a relatively cheap addition in terms of a trade. As it stands, the Rays are low on depth the in the outfield due to a rash of injuries. Sending a mid-level pitching prospect and Tyler Collins to the Rays would clearly work for both parties.

Drew Smyly

Easily the most familiar name on this list, former Tiger Drew Smyly could also be the most attainable where trading is concerned.

Once Alex Cobb returns later in the season, Smyly may be the odd man out of the Tampa rotation given his struggles this season.

In 16 starts so far in 2016, the 27-year-old has a career-worst 5.33 ERA and 4.30 FIP in 96.1 innings pitched. Since debuting in 2012, the pitcher’s ERA and FIP have never been above 4.00 in a season, so there’s reason to believe he can turn it around. His 108 strikeouts are a positive, but Smyly’s stat line is hardly something to write home about.

This is all without mentioning Smyly’s 2-9 record. By comparison, Mike Pelfrey has seven losses on the season.

Perhaps a return to Comerica Park, where Smyly is the owner of a 3.64 ERA in 146 innings, would help.

Next: Norris and Zimmermann Injured at Worst Time

In terms of a trade, Detroit could dangle a pitching prospect like Kevin Ziomek or Austin Kubitza. Position-player prospects blocked on the organizational depth chart, like third baseman Zach Shepherd, first baseman Dominic Ficociello or catchers Arvicent Perez and Grayson Greiner could also be used in a potential trade.