Tigers Ice-Cold Offense Leads to Jump in MLB Trade Deadline Urgency Rankings
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It wasn’t too long ago that the Detroit Tigers were the best team in baseball, thriving in every facet of the game.
But, they have fallen on tough times recently, and have been slumping over the last few weeks. Even their participants in the 2025 MLB All-Star Game struggled, making some ugly history during the Midsummer Classic.
The Tigers still hold a commanding eight-game lead in the American League Central over the Cleveland Guardians, but they no longer have the No. 1 seed.
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That now belongs to the Toronto Blue Jays, who have been winning at a torrid pace the last few weeks.
The main culprit for the team’s lack of success in July?
An offense that has gone ice-cold collectively, which has led to the Tigers moving up the MLB trade deadline urgency index 3.0, as compiled by The Athletic (subscription required).
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“The Tigers have been a bottom-two offense in July, ahead of only the Pirates in OPS. Javier Báez, now back at shortstop, has taken a step back at the same time as Trey Sweeney, and the guys now playing center in Báez’s place are all slumping,” wrote Tim Britton of The Athletic.
An honorable mention in previous editions of the urgency rankings, Detroit is now ranked No. 3 in need for a bat, behind the San Diego Padres and Houston Astros.
Sweeney was recently optioned to Triple-A Toledo to clear a roster spot for Kerry Carpenter, who was returning to the team after dealing with a hamstring injury suffered earlier in July.
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Argubaly the least productive shortstop in the MLB at the plate, Sweeney had an underwhelming 62 OPS+ this year in 258 plate appearances. It was a huge step backward from the still poor 79 that he produced last year during his Big League debut.
Some regression from Baez was expected based on his underlying metrics not matching up with the actual numbers he was producing, but his struggles have come at the same time his teammates have gone cold.
He hasn’t played center field since Parker Meadows and Matt Vierling both returned from the injured list, but that duo has not performed at a very high level, either.
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Being ranked near the Pirates in offensive production, who swept the Tigers last week, should have the front office operating with urgency ahead of the MLB trade deadline on Thursday.
For more Tigers news, head over to Tigers On SI.
Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.