Detroit Tigers Rumor Roundup heading into final weekend before trade deadline
Rumors are starting to swirl surrounding the Detroit Tigers heading into the final weekend before the trade deadline
The MLB trade deadline is next Tuesday. We are heading into the final weekend before the deadline, and the Detroit Tigers have yet to make a trade. However, the rumor mill has heated up as of late.
The Tigers have had several teams call them about some of thier players. Today, we're going to go over some of the rumors we've seen and heard over the past few days.
The players themselves won't be terribly surprising, but some of the teams may be interesting. Let's start with a name the Tigers have been linked to.
The Detroit Tigers are rumored to be interested in Diamondbacks OF Alek Thomas
This one popped up early in the week, but apparently a sports talk radio host in the Phoenix area said he heard the Tigers were interested in acquiring D'backs OF Alek Thomas.
I think we can squash this one pretty quickly. For one, people who work in radio are almost never right about this stuff. Most of the time they're just throwng stuff at the wall to see if it sticks.
Secondly, Thomas doesn't really fit the profile of what the Tigers want in a hitter. He has a career 5% walk rate at the big league level, and a career .630 OPS. The Tigers have enough guys like that, they don't need another.
Thomas will always have his top 100 prospect pedigree, and he's still just 23 years old, but as of right now, the pedigree is about all he's got.
The Eduardo Rodriguez trade market is heating up
Eduardo Rodriguez is reportedly a "hot commodity," according to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. Several teams have been keeping tabs on him, including the Rangers, Rays, and Reds.
This isn't too surprising. Even with his recent struggles coming off the IL, E-rod is still having a career season. The opt-out will likely complicate matters, but the Tigers should be able to get a nice return for him.
Tigers relievers are garnering interest
Several Tigers bullpen arms have been involved in trade rumors. Jose Cisnero seems to be the one garnering the most interest, which make sense. He's on an expiring deal and likely wouldn't cost much.
Chasen Shreve is a somewhat surprising name to pop up in rumors. He hasn't been very good this season, but he could still provided value to a team that's looking for a lefty in their bullpen. He also wouldn't cost much to acquire.
But the biggest name that has popped up is Jason Foley. Foley has had a breakout season and is not a free agent until 2028. But Feinsand reported that Foley has received "significant interest" on the market.
If I'm Scott Harris, I'm not moving Foley unless I get an offer I can't refuse. For a reliever as good as he is, under team control as long as he is, you can't just give him away. I would listen, but I would need to be wowed by an offer.
Michael Lorenzen continues to draw trade interest
Michael Lorenzen may have pitched his last game as a Tiger yesterday. Several teams have been interested in the 31-year-old right-hander, including the Astros, Rays, and now the Orioles per MLB Network's Jon Morosi.
All three of those teams would make sense. They're all contenders who need starting pitching help. The Astros and Rays have had their rotations ravaged by injuries, and Orioles have several young starters coming up on innings limits.
Lorenzen likely won't get a ton in return, but he's been solid enough to where the Tigers can fetch a decent prospect, especially at the current price of rental starters.