Tigers could continue enraging Yankees fans by trading for even more ex-Bombers

Despite fielding accusations of an underwhelming offseason, the Tigers front office may get the last laugh over fans as one-year signings Gleyber Torres and Tommy Kahnle have already exceeded expectations in Detroit.

Both ex-Yankees hung out on the free agent market for a while, with Torres signing in late December and Kahnle a month later. Torres immediately looked like he'd be more trouble than he was worth. The Tigers moved Colt Keith off of second base to accommodate him, and he left New York with a lot of baggage.

But Torres has turned into one of Detroit's most consistent bats — and looks very likely to get his first All-Star nod since 2019 — and Kahnle has a 1.35 ERA through 33 1/3 innings, to the chagrin of Yankees fans.

However, despite the lift that Torres has given the lineup and Kahnle the bullpen, the Tigers are still going to have work to do at the trade deadline to finish the second half strong and make a deep run in the postseason. Lynn Henning, writing for the Detroit News, named a ton of players the Tigers could target.

While it was basically just a list of everyone who could be available by late July, there are a number of ex-Yankees who could join Torres and Kahnle.

Tigers could target more ex-Yankees at trade deadline after Gleyber Torres, Tommy Kahnle successes

Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Aroldis Chapman, Sonny Gray, and Andrew Heaney are all ex-Yankees that Henning listed. Kiner-Falefa has already become a popular name in trade rumors, and the Yankees are reportedly interested in him again, as he's at least been hitting for average in Pittsburgh this year.

Chapman has historically been kind of a clubhouse wild card with an ego that might not jive with the Tigers' vibe this season, but his 1.41 ERA is almost as good as Kahnle's in nearly as many innings. The jury's still out on whether or not the Red Sox will be sellers, but they've gone right back to playing .500 baseball since their sweep of the Yankees and after trading Rafael Devers to the Giants.

It's still unclear if the Tigers will go after a starter, but they certainly look like they need to after losing Jackson Jobe to Tommy John, optioning Keider Montero back to the minors, and never knowing for certain if Alex Cobb will actually end up pitching this year. Gray and Heaney have pretty comparable ERAs, but Heaney would be the more economical option. Gray has more postseason experience and could be retained through 2027 if he's still pitching well.

Ex-Yankees or not, the Tigers need that little extra bit of lift at the deadline: an extra bench bat, a starter, probably another arm in the bullpen. Scott Harris didn't exactly fire fans up with his latest (vague) comments on Detroit's trade deadline approach, but it feels fair to assume that he knows the Tigers just need a couple more helping hands to get through the rest of the season and hopefully October.