Needing swing-and-miss arms in their bullpen, the Tigers are eyeing a pair of rival relievers ahead of the trade deadline.
Detroit is one of a handful of teams showing "strong interest" in right-handers Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax of the Twins, per MLB Insider Bob Nightengale, along with the Phillies, Dodgers, Cubs and Reds.
Duran and Jax are two of the best relievers available ahead of July 31, both of them under team control through 2027. The catch is that the Tigers will likely have to pay a premium to pry either one of them away from an AL Central foe.
Duran, 27, is one of the most electric pitchers in the bigs, with a fastball that lives in the triple digits. He has 65 saves over the last three seasons and a career-best 1.66 ERA this season, with 49 strikeouts to 16 walks in 43 1/3 innings.
Jax, 30, is Duran's primary setup man. While his ERA has spiked to 3.92 this year, the rest of his numbers say he's been one of the most dominant late-inning arms in the game. He has one of the highest whiff rates and highest strikeout rates in the majors, to go with a 1.87 FIP.
Detroit's bullpen was badly exposed last weekend in a series sweep by the Mariners and has been on shaky ground for a while. It ranks 21st in the majors in ERA, 26th since the start of June and 29th since the start of July at 7.04.
If the Tigers are also shopping for rotation help, both the Diamondbacks and Orioles have plenty to sell. Arizona is making Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly available "and searching for young pitching in return," per Nightengale, while the Orioles are listening on Zach Eflin, Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano.
All of them rentals, Kelly is having the best season of the bunch with a 3.34 ERA in 20 starts. He also has a track record of postseason success when the Diamondbacks reached the World Series in 2023.