7 predictions for where Tigers trade candidates end up at the trade deadline

Eduardo Rodriguez

The elephant in the room for Detroit at the trade deadline is the fate of Eduardo Rodriguez. Rodriguez was one of the better pitchers in the American League in the first half before he got hurt, but he has hurt his trade value since his return. The opt-out in his contract also makes moving him a bit more difficult as it is hard to put an accurate trade value on him since teams don't know how long he will be around. Boston makes a lot of sense here as they know him well, they need starting pitching, and would likely be able to get value out of him in the long run even if he doesn't play well the rest of this year and he opts in. It wouldn't be a shocker if he ends up staying in Detroit, though.

Prediction: Red Sox

Michael Lorenzen

The rental market for starting pitchers is expected to be extremely busy at the trade deadline and Lorenzen should be right in the thick of it. He is not only a pending free agent on a very reasonable contract, but he has pitched pretty well this season with a 3.58 ERA and a career low walk rate. While a number of teams seem to be in on him, the Orioles are the guess here. The financials make him appealing to a team that doesn't like to spend like Baltimore, targeting a rental should free up prospects for them to make other deals, and they have already expressed interest in Lorenzen ahead of the deadline.

Prediction: Baltimore Orioles

Jose Cisnero

The Tigers have a couple pending free agent relievers on their roster who are near mortal locks to get moved and Jose Cisnero is one of them. Cisnero isn't a spring chicken, but his fastball velocity is holding well and is pretty adept at getting groundballs out of the bullpen. Cisnero is a bullpen depth piece option for a number of teams, but Milwaukee is the guess here as a guy that isn't making a lot of money and should be cheap to acquire while they focus on other areas of need on their roster.

Prediction: Milwaukee Brewers

Chasen Shreve

Shreve is the Tigers' other rental reliever they will be shopping around at the deadline. Shreve's surface level numbers are not great, but a deeper dive shows some promising peripherals that point to him bouncing back the rest of the way. The Rays are the pick here as they could use some fresh arms in their bullpen and they are as good as any team in identifying value using data and getting the most out of the guys on their roster.

Prediction: Tampa Bay Rays