The Tigers avoided disaster when closer Will Vest escaped an IL stint this week, but it forced fans to recognize a lingering issue — Detroit really needs more high-leverage relievers.
Vest's absence would've left a massive hole in the Tigers bullpen that no one on the roster or in Triple-A is really equipped to fill. Tommy Kahnle has a handful of saves but is mostly a setup man, and even if Jason Foley was looking better in Triple-A, he's not an option for at least a year after undergoing shoulder surgery in May.
So the Tigers have an obvious need during trade season, and The Athletic's Jim Bowden named Pirates closer David Bednar as a potential solution.
Bowden's trade proposals are usually easy to clown on, but this one isn't actually too far out of the realm of possibility. He offered a 1:1 trade that would bring Bednar to Detroit and send 2025 international signing Cris Rodriguez (No. 4 in this year's class) to the Pirates.
The Tigers do love their prospects, and Rodriguez was one of the highest-regarded players in this year's international class, but if they move fully into win-now mode by the deadline, it could be time to take a leap of faith.
Tigers front office could realistically make a trade for Pirates closer David Bednar
Bednar had a bit of rocky stretch in May, but he hasn't allowed an earned run in his last 9 1/3 innings (since May 24) and has only given up three hits and one walk. He has six saves in six opportunities during that span. That's the kind of work that got him Rookie of the Year votes in 2021 and two All-Star nods 2022 and 2023. Bednar's strikeout rates are elite, even if he induces hard contact more than is preferable.
The Tigers already don't use Vest exclusively as a closer, but this would give them more opportunities to play around with matchups, and it would just make Detroit's bullpen that much more powerful.
Rodriguez has been having a great year in DSL, batting .348 with a 1.019 OPS in 12 games. It's a small sample size, but he's Detroit's No. 8 prospect his year and is already showing why he's ranked so highly for power.
Bowden wrote that he could turn into "a Yordan Alvarez or a Junior Caminero or a Fernando Tatis Jr.," which is a slightly terrifying thought, but the Tigers also need to find ways to get better quickly if they're going to make a deep run into October. Sometimes that means giving up potentially great prospects.