Tigers May Need to Make Early Trade in Order to Address Pitching Depth
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The Detroit Tigers started to steady the ship this past weekend with a sweep over the Miami Marlins that fans hope is an indicator this team is ready to hit the ground running this week.
While the cold bats started to heat up a bit, Detroit got some nice performances from all three of their starting pitchers as well and could have some momentum headed into a series with the Kansas City Royals.
This is going to be a telling few games with Framber Valdez and Jack Flaherty looking to bounce back as well as Keider Montero trying to continue what has been a very strong beginning to the season. But as pitchers across baseball go down with injuries at a higher rate than ever including an early ailment for Justin Verlander, does this team have enough depth?
Tigers May Not Have Enough Depth to Weather Storm of More Injuries
While Verlander was the first of Detroit's starters to deal with an injury this season after the team lost Reese Olson for the year in the spring, he likely will not be the last. On top of the possibility of injury, the inconsistency looms large for a rotation that was seen as having such a high ceiling.
Having someone like Montero in the fold is great as is the hopeful eventual return of Troy Melton, but internal reinforcements can only get you so far.
Scott Harris has made a couple of waiver claims this week in guys like Yoniel Curet from the Philadelphia Phillies and Grant Holman from the Los Angeles Dodgers, which certainly do serve to bolster the depth.
Harris should be working the phones as well though and looking at names who can help this team now.
Major Tigers Trade Would Be Fairly Unusual This Early
Blockbuster deals don't generally happen in April, and Detroit of course still should do some evaluating over the coming weeks as they seek to find their footing. While fans may not feel the same, the front office is certainly willing to be patient with the team they put together.
Aces are not getting dealt generally ever but especially this time of year, however if the Tigers could find a guy they liked who is capable of working both out of the bullpen and the starting rotation, it would be a strong idea to simply just add to the depth.
In an ideal world, a young guy with inexperience and minor league options for flexibility is someone Detroit would target. Chances are, Harris may already be working the phones trying to make something like that happen.
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Michael Brauner is a 2022 graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in Sports Media. He covers various MLB teams across the On SI network and you can also find his work on Yellowhammer News covering the Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers as well as on the radio producing and co-hosting 'The Opening Kickoff' every weekday morning on 105.5 WNSP FM in Mobile, Alabama.