Tigers make another boring trade (and DFA former Yankee) as fans grow restless

Before deadline chaos descended upon the league, Tigers insiders cautioned fans to temper their expectations. The Tigers would be buyers, but they probably weren't going to get anyone from the national outlets' big boards. That most likely meant no Eugenio Suárez, no Jhoan Duran, no Ryan Helsley, and so on.

With just a few hours left before the deadline, all three have come off the board. Suárez is a Mariner (again), Duran is a Phillie, Helsley is a Met. The Tigers were reportedly in discussions with the Cardinals for Helsley before he came off the board, but alas.

Instead, the Tigers have packed the bullpen with a handful of underwhelming names. Getting Kyle Finnegan from the Nationals is probably their best move so far, but Rafael Montero? Paul Sewald? There's not a lot to write home about there.

The Tigers continued that trend on Thursday afternoon, when they made a deal with the Rangers for reliever Codi Heuer and sent cash in return. Heuer's currently in the minors after he gave up a run in his 1 1/3 inning team debut this year. Detroit DFA'd Dietrich Enns as the corresponding move.

Tigers trade with the Rangers for righty pitcher Codi Heuer, DFA Dietrich Enns

Enns made a great first impression on June 26, when he got his first appearance in the majors since 2021 and pitched five scoreless innings, but the bloom came off the rose during his very next start — he gave up eight runs (seven earned) in four innings against the Nationals. The Tigers moved him into a relief role, but he also got hammered by the Blue Jays on July 24. That was enough, apparently.

Heuer was a sixth-round draft pick for the White Sox in 2018 and pitched well in 2020, his debut year (1.52 ERA over 23 2/3 innings). He was traded across town to the Cubs in 2021 and finished the year on a high note, but then he underwent Tommy John, which kept him out of the 2022 season entirely. After that, he fractured his elbow during a rehab assignment in 2023. Absolutely brutal. Before his 1 1/3 innings with the Rangers, he hadn't pitched in the majors since Sept. 29, 2021.

The Tigers are stockpiling players they can throw at a wall to see if they stick. Finnegan will help and Sewald should be decent when he's healthy, but they're rolling the dice on Montero and Heuer. Heuer was immediately sent to Triple-A, but it probably won't be long before we see the Tigers experiment with him in the majors.