Not even three weeks ago, the narrative surrounding the Tigers wasn’t so much what they needed, but what they wanted.
They were 15 games up in their division, 3.5 for MLB’s best record. They ranked in the top five in virtually every significant offensive category. Their pitching was similarly stellar. They were stealing few bases, but their base-running metrics ranked near the top of the league. Defensively, they were surprisingly adequate, which was augmented by the return of center fielder Parker Meadows.
It was about the Tigers tweaking their roster for a certain postseason run. They didn’t seem to need anything. That world has been turned upside-down in a hurry.
The Tigers, who have lost nine of their last 10 games, need everything.
They are still atop the American League Central by eight games, but second-place Cleveland was 15.5 back as recently as July 7. The starting pitching has been bad, and the hitting even worse. The bullpen is manned by flame-throwing right-hander Will Vest and various gas cans.
But the notion that the trade deadline will be like taking two aspirins and waking up to see the Tigers in the World Series is wishful thinking. The Tigers should make multiple moves to keep up with the stiffening competition, but it will not have the desired impact unless those who brought the club so far in the first 100 games return to form.
This team will continue to tank if Jack Flaherty and Casey Mize remain in a funk, and if they are depending on quality starts from Keider Montero. Riley Greene has slowed considerably while piling up strikeouts at an alarming rate and being dominated by left-handed pitching.
Colt Keith, Spencer Torkelson and Dillion Dingler have also slowed, while the magic dust has faded a bit from the unlikely All Star duo of Javy Baez and Zach McKinstry. Matt Vierling and Meadows have slumped all along. Tommy Kahnle’s changeup seemed too good to be true. Lately, it’s been too bad to trust.
Hall of Fame managers Sparky Anderson and Jim Leyland both said the same thing: “If you have a bad bullpen you have a bad team.” The Tigers' bullpen is poor beyond Vest and, perhaps, Tyler Holton, although that may be writing off Kahnle too soon.
Even with his club’s alarming hitting woes, president of baseball operations Scott Harris would be wise to make pitching and defense the top priority at the deadline. Hitting, even for the best teams, tends to come and go on a whim. Pitching and defense are more constants and therefore controllable.
But know this: there is neither a magic pill or great elixir for the Tigers at the deadline. Buzzwords like "splash" move, a "big name" acquisition, or subtle but perhaps potentially more effective deals, will provide little help if the Tigers who carried them this far don’t get back on track.
The sooner, obviously, the better.