Tigers sign former World Series champion after 10.00 ERA stint with Pirates

More cracks showed in the Tigers' bullpen over the weekend, when they lost two out of three to the Rangers in Arlington. Tarik Skubal shoved in the finale and two runs were all Detroit's offense needed to provide to get him the win, but it was almost ruined by a wild pitch from Tyler Holton, which allowed the Rangers to score the tying run. In the opener, Tommy Kahnle gave up two runs while the Tigers were shut out.

The Tigers very clearly need pitching help at the trade deadline, and probably another bat. However, before they can really go after guys like Jhoan Duran or Ryan Helsley or David Bednar, it doesn't hurt to bring in some depth options and potential reinforcements.

On Friday, the Tigers signed 2019 World Series champion reliever Tanner Rainey to a minor-league deal, per the team's transactions log. Rainey was with the Pirates to start the season, but pitching to a 10.57 ERA in 7 2/3 innings got him sent down to Triple-A and then released on July 8 for the Tigers to scoop him up.

Tigers sign 2019 World Series champion reliever Tanner Rainey to a minor-league deal

Even in 2019, when Rainey was with the World Champion Nationals, he was far from a standout. He threw 48 1/3 innings for a 3.91 ERA in the regular season and had a 6.75 ERA in the postseason. His numbers in the minors aren't exceptional either, but he got off on the right foot in Triple-A Toledo on Sunday, when he threw a hitless inning against the Memphis Redbirds in an eventual loss.

The Tigers have a couple of clear favorites when they need to call up a fresh arm in Dylan Smith and Tyler Owens. It's likely they'll stay that way, but a little bit of healthy competition and some reassurance never hurt anyone. Rainey won't immediately strike anyone as a magical bullpen fix, but if the Tigers get stuck in a tough spot and need to give Holton, Brenan Hanifee, or any of their other overworked relievers a day off between now and the deadline, at least Rainey has an ample amount of major league experience behind him.

More elite reinforcements are (hopefully) on the way. Detroit being connected to multiple high-end closers is definitely promising, and they have the prospect capital to get past their rumored big-market foes. Even if it takes a classic midseason overpay, the Tigers desperately need it.