So the power is a plus. The whiff is a concern. More importantly, adding Su\u00e1rez would also dampen one of the Tigers\u2019 greatest strengths \u2014 mixing and matching, hunting matchups, giving opposing managers headaches.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a complicated discussion. Maybe this will tip the scales: There are other suitors here, and the Yankees are chief among them. At this point, parting with substantial prospect capital \u2014 or even big-league depth in Justyn-Henry Malloy or Jace Jung \u2014 seems like a total departure from the Tigers\u2019 identity.<\/p>\n
Do not expect the Tigers to move any of their prospects in the top 100. Might other teams be willing to put together better offers?<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/USATSI_24430392-scaled-e1733443485186.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Detroit manager AJ Hinch likes his matchups, making a trade for Eugenio Su\u00e1rez somewhat unlikely. (Junfu Han \/ USA Today)<\/p>\n
Other right-handed bats?<\/p>\n
There are other right-handed hitters out there. Randal Grichuk (Su\u00e1rez\u2019s Arizona teammate) profiles as the type of platoon bat who might better fit the Tigers\u2019 construction. Old friend Willi Castro, a switch-hitter and another in-division name, would be a strong fit. But it\u2019s also unclear whether the Tigers see merit in seeking a marginal upgrade when they already have Jahmai Jones, Malloy, Andy Ib\u00e1\u00f1ez and even Hao-Yu Lee in their organization. (For the record, the Tigers aren\u2019t interested in Pittsburgh\u2019s Ke\u2019Bryan Hayes.)<\/p>\n
And for all the talk of a right-handed bat, keep in mind the Tigers actually rank fifth with a .763 OPS against left-handed pitching.<\/p>\n
The right bat could be a valuable upgrade. But the Tigers aren\u2019t desperate for a hitter despite their recent struggles.<\/p>\n
The pros and cons of adding a starter<\/p>\n
So far, the Tigers have given no real indication of being interested in starting pitching, but one question looms. After Tarik Skubal, who do you want starting Game 2 of a postseason series? Reese Olson, Casey Mize and Jack Flaherty are options. All three have pros and cons. The Tigers need to hope one of those starters catches fire over the final two months. Otherwise, might it be a mistake to neglect this rotation?<\/p>\n
A controllable starter such as Pittsburgh\u2019s Mitch Keller (3.53 ERA, 2.6 fWAR) or Miami\u2019s Edward Cabrera (3.48 ERA, 1.4 fWAR) could thrive under the Tigers\u2019 pitching department this fall and beyond.<\/p>\n
The flip side of this one? Controllable starters do not come cheap. The Tigers are not enamored with Sandy Alcantara, nor do they hold strong interest in top rental Zac Gallen.<\/p>\n
Another question: Do the Tigers think starting pitching matters in the postseason? Sans an elite arm like Skubal, the playoffs are ripe for shorter starts and leaning into bullpen matchups \u2014 hence relief being such a priority for the Tigers. This is the team that authored pitching chaos last year, and it\u2019s reasonable to see the Tigers being perfectly comfortable patching things together in the playoffs.<\/p>\n
All that gets harder in a seven-game series, which the Tigers did not play in the postseason last year. But the Tigers are also hoping for built-in reinforcements in the likes of Troy Melton (who had a rough debut Wednesday in Pittsburgh) and Jos\u00e9 Urquidy, whom the Tigers hope can join their staff soon.<\/p>\n
In summary<\/p>\n
Detroit is going to add at the trade deadline, but much like last season, it\u2019s also banking on internal improvements. Unheralded names such as left-hander Drew Sommers are percolating in the minors. The team hopes Alex Lange can return from injury soon.<\/p>\n
Even their pragmatism, though, comes with an element of risk. What happens if you don\u2019t do enough when a golden opportunity is right in front of you?<\/p>\n
The Tigers feel their approach has worked incredibly well for the past 12 months. Hot, cold or somewhere in between, it\u2019s unlikely they\u2019ll change course now.<\/p>\n
(Top photo: Norm Hall\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"DETROIT \u2014 Swept by the Pirates, bashed by the Blue Jays, losers of 10 out of 11 and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":21361,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[558],"tags":[64,63,5260,591,85],"class_list":["post-21360","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-detroit-tigers","tag-mlb","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21360","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21360"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21360\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21361"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21360"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21360"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21360"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}