ESPN just gave the Tigers a trade deadline roadmap fans will want to hear

The Detroit Tigers are proving that they are for real, fielding one of the most complete teams in the American League. As the summer heat approaches, it's time for the club to start making plans for what additions they'd like to make, and they'd be wise to take a page out of the San Francisco Giants' playbook and strike sooner rather than later.

Armed with the top-ranked farm system in baseball, the Tigers have the ammunition to go out and solve any need while shopping at the top of the market. At this point in time, nearly any acquisition would be a luxury item, but this roadmap laid out by ESPN could seriously set up Detroit for a deep postseason run.

As pointed out in the ESPN piece, the Tigers' bullpen isn't exactly a weakness, but it's also not really a strength. Tigers relievers rank middle of the pack in the league in ERA, coming in 14th with a 3.76 mark through June 16. By K/9, however, they rank a dismal 27th.

Strikeouts aren't the end-all, be-all of pitching, but they are specifically important in the pressure-packed late innings in October. Under those bright lights, balls that otherwise would've gone as outs tend to find a way to trickle in for hits, and in the age of velocity and swing-and-miss stuff, having a relief ace or two that can blow hitters away is paramount.

Fortunately, there should be options aplenty on the trade market for the Tigers to consider, and with their stockpile of prospects no solution seems out of reach.

The Tigers have a plethora of options to shore up their biggest deadline need

The bones of a good playoff bullpen are already in place for Detroit. Tommy Kahnle, owner of the league's weirdest self-flagellation ritual, has been through his fair share of playoff battles with a career postseason ERA of 3.00 over 30 innings. With a 1.50 ERA on the season, he's been far from a problem.

Flamethrower Will Vest and his 2.57 ERA present another strong late-inning option for the Tigers, but adding an elite arm to support this duo and the rest of the pen would be a game-changer for Detroit.

By pedigree, the top two options might be the St. Louis Cardinals' Ryan Helsley and the Tampa Bay Rays' Pete Fairbanks. Both relievers have a history of dominance, and their teams may be willing to part with them as they fade from their respective playoff races and/or look to save some money.

That said, neither truly checks all of the boxes. Helsley has not been his dominant self with a 3.96 ERA and 1.56 WHIP, while Fairbanks has seen his K/9 plummet from 13.50 in 2023 to 8.74 last season to a career-low 7.94 so far this year, making him a questionable fit as the strikeout arm Detroit craves.

The Arizona Diamondbacks might be open to being raided as the NL West starts to pull away from them, but the Tigers might be too scarred to reunite with Shelby Miller and instead might find lefty Jalen Beeks as a better fit.

Elsewhere, options like Aroldis Chapman, Felix Bautista, David Bednar, and Jake Bird could all be fit, though there are also some drawbacks to each.

In a perfect world, Detroit would snag a lock down lefty and a reliable strikeout artist to transform the bullpen from an average unit to a true strength. That combined with a deep lineup and a rotation headed by one of the most dominant aces in the game in Tarik Skubal would make the Tigers an October menace.