Detroit Tigers: Could Detroit Trade for an Ace?

Detroit Tigers starting pitchers have been up and down this season. Some, like Michael Fulmer and Justin Verlander have excelled. Others struggled mightily. Could Detroit trade for another ace?

Detroit Tigers fans have seen a number of ace starters over the years. From Kenny Rodgers to Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer to David Price, there have certainly been a number of elite pitchers to don the Old English “D.” Rookie sensation Michael Fulmer and recent first-round draft pick Matt Manning both have the potential join that group, but should the Tigers trade for another ace?

There are a number of conceivable trade targets on the market who qualify as aces. Tampa Bay’s Chris Archer is out there, as is Oakland’s Sonny Gray and Atlanta’s Julio Teheran.

All three would be excellent fits in Detroit, but there are caveats to bringing in all three.

First off, Detroit shouldn’t be looking to deal future pieces. That means players and prospects like Daniel Norris, Bruce Rondon, Christin Stewart, Joe Jimenez and JaCoby Jones aren’t going anywhere.

Secondly, Atlanta may value Teheran too highly. The Braves sold extremely high on Shelby Miller in the offseason, and Teheran is arguably having a better season this year than Miller did during the 2015 campaign. Based on this, it wouldn’t be a shock to see the current Atlanta pitcher cost an exorbitant amount in a trade.

Additionally, it looks like Archer could end up staying in Tampa Bay. On Sunday, ESPN’s Buster Olney tweeted that the “Rays have told teams Chris Archer is not available unless somebody totally overwhelms them. So, he’s not available.”

There goes any hope of buying low on Tampa’s latest ace. That leaves…