Tigers Should Make Play For One of Padres Star Pitchers Who Could Be Available

The Detroit Tigers have been active ahead of the trade deadline, but they haven't made the truly large splash that many were expecting just yet.

Adding Paul Sewald and Rafael Montero boost the bullpen depth, but it's hard to picture either of them being a gamechanger like some of the other high-end relief arms would have been. Chris Paddack helps the rotation, but he's not going to be a one-two punch with Tarik Skubal.

With that in mind, the Tigers should still be putting packages together to make that splash move that's needed for them to truly be the AL frontrunners.

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And landing either of the San Diego Padres two pitching stars -- Robert Suarez or Dylan Cease -- would be a great move before the deadline passes.

Both of those two are seen as available by Alden Gonzalez of ESPN because they just pulled of a blockbuster trade with the Athletics for Mason Miller and JP Sears. After giving up a haul to bring those two in, shipping out one or both of Suarez and Cease could allow the Padres to replenish their depleted farm system.

However, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported the Padres now "have no plans to trade" their star closer and "also may keep" Cease to create a lethal rotation.

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That might be the case, but San Diego's general manager A.J. Preller won't shy away from making deals he believes are best for his franchise, which could result in both of those players being on the move by the end of the day.

Detroit needs a true closer and a starting pitcher, so either one of these two would be huge.

When it comes to Suarez, he continues to be one of the best relievers in baseball, currently owning a 3.43 ERA with an MLB-leading 30 saves. This is continuing the incredible showing he had last year where he posted a 2.77 ERA across 65 appearances, converting 36 of his 42 save opportunities.

Trading for him could be complicated when it comes to compensation since Suarez has an opt-out in his contract after this season, something he will likely exercise since he's owed just $8 million each year in 2026 and 2027.

Because of that, he's likely going to be considered a rental, which should lower the price to acquire for the Tigers.

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Cease is a true rental, with him set to become a free agent after the season. But trading for him comes with risks since he has a 4.79 ERA across 22 starts. However, his stuff still looks great with an NL-leading 11.6 K/9 rate, so perhaps he just needs some tweaking to get him back to being his elite self.

Either way, Detroit needs to make a real splash and one of these two stars would be exactly that.

For more Tigers news, head over to Tigers On SI.