Detroit Tigers Rumors: Plenty of teams interested in Justin Wilson

Detroit Tigers rumors are here once again. With July winding down, there are plenty of rumors to be had. The latest rumor reportedly involves relief pitcher Justin Wilson.

Even though the team has already dealt J.D. Martinez, there could conceivably be more deals on the horizon.

The latest rumor involves Tigers closer Justin Wilson.

The Detroit Free Press’ Anthony Fenech tweeted on Wednesday afternoon:

"“On Justin Wilson: 10-12 teams are in on him, I’m told, and interested teams expect his price to increase as the trade deadline nears.”"

Considering Detroit didn’t net an overwhelming return in the J.D. Martinez deal, potentially receiving full value for Justin Wilson should a trade occur is exactly what the Tigers need at this point.

It also doesn’t hurt that they could hypothetically receive a premium return for Wilson.

The southpaw checks a number of boxes for teams in terms of featuring nasty stuff and having the ability to work multiple innings and close games.

Wilson has been Detroit’s best reliever this season, sporting a 0.9 WAR, a 36.5 strikeout percentage and a 2.88 FIP in 35.1 innings.

Additionally, the former Pirate has turned in a 2.29 ERA, a 3.27 xFIP, 10 saves and 12.74 strikeouts per nine frames.

Controllability

Dating back to the offseason, controllability has reigned king in deals, with more value placed on controllable players as opposed to rentals.

According to Spotrac, Justin Wilson is controllable through next season. Per the same publication, the left-hander is making $2.7 million this year.

Due to this, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Tigers received a better haul for Wilson than Martinez.

Moving Wilson will obviously hurt the team somewhat in the short term, but potentially receiving a package that includes a premium prospect ready for the Majors would do wonders for Detroit’s minor league system.

What’s more, the Tigers can call up Joe Jimenez to take Wilson’s place and pitch in some save situations. This would get Jimenez ready for a larger role in 2018.

Next: Breaking down every aspect of the J.D. Martinez trade

Detroit could also go with Shane Greene or Bruce Rondon at the back end of the bullpen, but Greene may be best suited for the multiple-inning role he currently fills.