Detroit Tigers: Should they claim RP Deck McGuire?

The Detroit Tigers have collected free agent relievers off the scrap heap throughout the season. Another target has emerged, and the Tigers should pounce.

Detroit Tigers fans are used to having a bad bullpen. Competitive teams, rebuilding teams, and teams somewhere in the middle all seem to struggle to find a consistent mix of relievers out of the bullpen. This 2018 squad is definitely in rebuilding mode. They have surprised many however, with strong performances from their starting pitchers and a few key position players stepping up.

With that said, the bullpen has been as expected: bad. Joe Jimenez has looked outstanding, and could be headed for his first career All-Star game. Their next best relievers have been Artie Lewicki and Louis Coleman. Yikes. Shane Greene has had his moments, but Buck Farmer, Drew VerHagen, Warwick Saupold and Alex Wilson have looked nothing short of awful this season.

As such, it makes sense for the Tigers to continue to scour the free agent market for bullpen help. They’ve added a few arms recently, signing left-handers Kevin Chapman and Hunter Cervenka as well as right-handers Jacob Turner and Junichi Tazawa. They shouldn’t have any problem making room for one more. Former Blue Jays right-hander Deck McGuire might be the guy.

Stacking the Deck

McGuire capped off an outstanding collegiate career at Georgia Tech University before getting selected 11th overall by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2010. It took seven years (and five teams) before McGuire made his big league debut in 2017 with the Reds. McGuire pitched in six games (two starts) and had a 2.63 ERA with an excellent 11/2 K/BB ratio in 13 2/3 innings.

Despite the solid big league debut, McGuire was cut by the Reds and caught on with his original team, the Blue Jays. McGuire began this season at Triple-A Buffalo, but reached the big leagues on May 15. He made four appearances with Toronto, compiling a 6.48 ERA with a 7/5 K/BB ratio in 8 1/3 innings.

The Blue Jays designated McGuire for assignment, and despite middling results this season the Tigers should consider adding him.

Scouting Deck McGuire

McGuire has a traditional four-pitch mix: fastball, slider, curveball and changeup. He averages 93.4 miles per hour on the heater, and opponents have only hit .218 off of it in the show. Although he hasn’t thrown much of it, McGuire’s changeup has quietly been one of his most successful pitches. Meanwhile, his slider has been atrocious. Opponents are hitting a blistering .556 on the slider, with an ugly 9.1% swinging strike rate.

McGuire has had more success as a reliever in the major leagues, and if the Tigers were willing to convert him into a middle reliever full-time they could get a sneaky good piece. Opponents have only hit .208 off him in a relief role, and his 3.86 ERA and 1.14 WHIP would each rank third out of all Detroit’s relievers this year. He’s unlikely to become an elite reliever, but he certainly has the tools to be one of Detroit’s better bullpen arms this season.

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Detroit Tigers General Manager Al Avila will continue to scour the open market for anyone who can help the bullpen. While it is a rebuilding season, any way to make the roster better in the meantime will help keep fans engaged while we wait for the prospects to develop in the minors.