Detroit Tigers rumors: Latest on starting pitcher Justin Verlander

Detroit Tigers rumors are here once again. With the July 31 trade deadline fast approaching, here is the latest rumor regarding Tigers starter Justin Verlander.

Detroit Tigers rumors are back in the headlines.

With the Tigers owning a 39-48 record entering the All-Star break, there is bound to be rumors of trading away pieces.

MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand tweeted on Wednesday afternoon about Tigers starting pitcher Justin Verlander.

Feinsand tweeted the following:

“Source says Tigers aren’t actively shopping Justin Verlander, but the perception is Detroit ‘could be talked into moving him’ by July 31.”

Despite a 4.73 ERA, a 4.28 FIP and a 5.03 xFIP on the season, Verlander has shown signs of rediscovering his old form.

He held Cleveland to six hits, four runs and a walk in 6.2 frames of work in his final start before the All-Star break.

What’s more, he’s allowed three runs or fewer in 11 of his 18 starts this season.

Two of the remaining seven starts saw the veteran allow four runs. He’s pitched into the seventh inning nine different times in 2017.

Related Story: 5 hypothetical trade candidates

Overall, Verlander owns a 1.5 WAR. He’s striking out 8.43 batters per nine innings while inducing ground balls at a 33.8 percent rate in 104.2 frames of work.

This is speculative mind you, but a trade seems unlikely due to Verlander’s salary.

The 34-year-old is making $28 million this season (per Spotrac) and will make the same salary through the 2019 campaign.

Additionally, if Detroit wants to stay competitive, it may be difficult to sell it to the fans if the team deals its longest-tenured and arguably most-successful player.

Rotation outlook

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Should Verlander stay in the Motor City, he’ll continue to pitch at the top of a rotation that also includes Michael Fulmer, Jordan Zimmermann and a resurgent Anibal Sanchez.

It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Matthew Boyd return to the starting picture at some point.

The former Toronto farmhand has pitched to a 2.23 ERA and a 0.857 WHIP in 44.1 innings (seven starts).

Boyd has also struck out 45 batters to go along with just 12 walks.

Moving forward, the Tigers do have a chance to claw their way back into things.

The team turned in some quality at-bats against Cleveland in the final game before the All-Star break.

It is an admittedly small sample size, but if Detroit can string together at-bats like that on a more consistent basis, results should start going their way.

Next: JV and the other Tigers least likely to be traded

The Detroit Tigers return to action following the All-Star break on Friday against the Toronto Blue Jays in the Motor City. Verlander will take the mound opposite Aaron Sanchez.