Detroit Tigers: Buyers
Why: Upon signing Prince Fielder, the Tigers were considered by many to be the class of the American League. As such, entering the break under .500 is a borderline catastrophic result in the Motor City. Still, the Tigers are but 4.5 games back of both the AL Central lead and the final Wild Card slot, and the talent that had everybody raving is still there.
Who they need: The Tigers have plenty of star power between Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder, but the supporting cast has been severely lacking.
Tiger second basemen – mostly Ryan Raburn and Ramon Santiago – have hit a dreadful .195/.260./.273, by far the worst in the league. The right fielders – .226/.278/.337, primarily from Brennan Boesch – have also been a league-worst group. Fixing either of those two positions would be a huge boost for the squad in the season's second half.
Who they can deal: The Tigers have a wealth of pitching depth in the minor leagues. Jacob Turner is the crown jewel, a 21-year-old right-hander with a full arsenal of pitches: low-to-mid nineties fastball, mid-80s slider, curveball, and changeup. He has taken a bit of a step back at Triple-A this season – just a 1.4 K/BB rate and a 3.69 ERA – but he's exceptionally young for the league and his talent goes beyond the numbers.
Other pitching names to watch include Casey Crosby, Andy Oliver and Alex Burgos – all lefties – as well as right-hander Brenny Paulino. Nick Castellanos, a 20-year-old with a .302 average in Double-A headlines the position players in the system. As a young third-baseman with a great hit tool, he should draw some demand.
Who is available: Former Tiger Placido Polanco could be a part of the Phillies' impending sale, and although he plays third for the Phillies he has 943 career starts at second base, including 530 with Detroit. Cellar dwellars Minnesota and Colorado could also be inclined to deal Jamey Carroll and Marco Scutaro respectively. None are great options – Carroll is an all-glove player and Scutaro owns just a .612 OPS away from Coors field. Still, even mediocrity serves as a huge upgrade for the Tigers at second base at this point, and they wouldn't cost much.
The outfield should have some more options. The A's could sell off either Jonny Gomes or Seth Smith. The prize would be Carlos Quentin of the Padres, who opened the season on a scorching note and has an excellent 1.007 OPS in his first 29 games back from injury.
Verdict: The Tigers have been among the league's biggest disappointments, but the silver lining is the holes are easily identifiable. Plugging second base or right field could be the key to a quick turnaround, and it's hard to imagine the Tigers not making a move on at least one of these positions in the next few weeks. With a more reasonable supporting cast behind Fielder, Verlander, Cabrera and Austin Jackson, the Tigers could play like the team we thought they were come the season's second half.
