DETROIT – It's been a decade of winning in Detroit, but the Tigers are facing a different challenge now.
When the end of July rolls around, the Tigers' roster should look completely different. J.D. Martinez, Justin Wilson and Alex Avila will almost surely be playing for contenders, and veterans such as Justin Verlander and Ian Kinsler might also find themselves shipped out of Detroit.
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Here are the latest rumors surrounding Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander:
Chicago Cubs interested in Verlander
MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi reports that the Cubs are interested in Verlander (along with Tigers catcher Alex Avila) but the teams haven’t yet begun formal trade negotiations.
ESPN’s Buster Olney writes that the Tigers are seeking a “big, big, big return [without] salary offset.”
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Verlander talks about trade rumors
"Even though I think of this organization as family, you always know that there is that underlying business tone," Verlander said. "This isn't just kind of happy go lucky. This is an organization that needs to be run."
"Obviously, where there's smoke, there's fire," Verlander said before Wednesday night's game against San Francisco. "It's not completely out of the realm of possibility."
"It's just the way sports are now," Verlander said. "It's the aberration the other way around, for a player to stay with their organization over his whole career — the Jeters, the Chipper Joneses of the world."
"I think there's so many different things that would need to be discussed and thought about, it's almost too much to think about right now," Verlander said. "If I started thinking about all those possibilities, that could become overwhelming, so I'm not." (More from Chicago Tribune)