DETROIT – The Detroit Tigers just endured their longest losing streak of the season, and it comes with the trade deadline right around the corner.
In baseball, it’s bad business to overreact to one losing streak. Yes, the Tigers have lost seven of eight, but they’re still 19 games above .500. So the sky isn’t falling.
My reaction to the losing streak is actually less about the streak itself and more about what it exposed.
We already knew the Tigers weren’t perfect, but their most glaring issues reared their ugly heads over the past couple of weeks.
Front and center is the need for bullpen help. If you’d asked me before the All-Star break (actually, they did on Detroit Sports+ in the video below), my top priority for the Tigers was to add a middle-of-the-rotation starting pitcher.
Tarik Skubal is otherworldly, and Casey Mize and Reese Olson are both solid. But beyond that, the Tigers have some question marks, starting with the inconsistencies from Jack Flaherty.
But now, there’s no denying the bullpen needs. A few weeks ago, the Tigers had two lockdown relievers in Will Vest and Tommy Kahnle. But Kahnle’s July has been disastrous.
In seven appearances this month, Kahnle has allowed 14 earned runs in just 4.1 innings. He has six walks, two homers allowed, and three strikeouts in that span.
Maybe it’s just a bad stretch -- Kahnle carried a 1.77 ERA into this month, after all. But are you willing to gamble the entire season on his turnaround?
The Texas series (and Monday against Paul Skenes) also exposed the need for another power bat. Inning after inning, the Tigers have failed to come up with a big hit with runners in scoring position. As a result, they’ve scored just three runs in four games since the break.
Meanwhile, Eugenio Suarez hit four homers in two days for the Diamondbacks. Suarez is up to 35 homers this season, and he also plays a position of need for the Tigers. It seems to be a great match.
Now, obviously, it’s very easy to say the Tigers should go out and make all of these upgrades. It’s another battle entirely to actually go out and execute deals.
Scott Harris hasn’t been in this position as team president. The Tigers have been sellers for his entire tenure, but now it’s time to go shopping.
And I don’t think there will be much in the bargain bin.
Since the wildcard expanded to three teams in each league, the number of clear sellers at the deadline has shrunk exponentially. Relief pitchers, especially, are going to cost a premium, because everybody needs at least one.
And Suarez is the premier power bat on the market. So he’ll probably end up with the Yankees or Dodgers.
I wouldn’t want to see the Tigers trade Max Clark, Kevin McGonigle, Josue Briceno, or Bryce Rainer for a three-month rental. A single postseason is too unpredictable to give up six years of a potential game-changing bat.
But I do think this losing streak was a timely wakeup call. The Tigers need to improve their roster if they hope to top last year’s ALDS appearance.
A couple weeks ago, I thought it might be OK if the Tigers stood pat. Now it feels like they definitely need to make some moves.