After looking like American League favorites for much of the first half, the Detroit Tigers' recent cold stretch has raised serious questions about their readiness for October baseball.
The Tigers ended the first half by getting swept at home by the Seattle Mariners and have gone just 1-5 out of the break, including an embarrassing sweep at the hands of the last-place Pittsburgh Pirates. While the pitching staff has had a few blow-ups during this stretch, including two disastrous starts by All-Star Casey Mize, it is the offense that has truly fallen apart in the last two weeks. The club has scored just 26 runs in the last 11 games and has put just nine runs on the board in six second-half contests.
The good news for the Tigers is that injured slugger Kerry Carpenter has begun a rehab assignment and should return this weekend, but his absence has exposed a troublingly top-heavy lineup. Besides Carpenter, the Tigers only have two players with over 10 home runs: Riley Greene, who leads MLB with 137 strikeouts and has mustered just three singles since the All-Star break, and Spencer Torkelson, who has been a league-average hitter since a red-hot opening month. When those two notoriously streaky players aren’t producing, the Tigers' lineup becomes easy to navigate, which could spell trouble in October when they go up against the game’s best starting pitchers.
Though there are not many impact bats on the trade market this season, a reunion with Arizona Diamondbacks slugger Eugenio Suárez would be a perfect match. With 36 home runs and an MLB-leading 86 RBIs, Suárez would immediately become the most fearsome bat in the Tigers' order, ideally slotting in between lefty mashers Carpenter and Greene and taking some pressure off the Tigers' collection of young hitters. In addition, Suárez's presence at third base would allow All-Star Zach McKinstry to move back to his natural utilityman role and improve the overall functionality of the Tigers' roster.
The Tigers will face stiff competition for Suárez's services, but their deep farm system could give them a leg up. The Athletic’s Jim Bowden believes they can get a deal done with the Diamondbacks without giving up Kevin McGonigle and Max Clark, each of whom ranks inside MLB Pipeline’s top 15 prospects.
“Detroit is not going to part with its trio of top prospects: middle infielder Kevin McGonigle, shortstop Bryce Rainer, and outfielder Max Clark. All three would be off the table,” Bowden wrote. “However, I think the Tigers would include catcher/first baseman Thayron Liranzo, whom they acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers last year in the Jack Flaherty trade, and right-hander Jaden Hamm, who profiles as a future middle-of-the-rotation starter.”
Though Liranzo is only the Tigers’ fifth-ranked prospect, the switch-hitter might have the most raw power in the system. He has posted exit velocities above 110 miles per hour and has homered 10 times in 61 Double-A games. With a walk rate that has topped 15% at every stop of affiliated ball, Liranzo profiles as a middle-of–the-order bat despite concerns about his hit tool and strikeout rate. And while Hamm is the clear second piece in the trade, he has held his own in his first season in Double-A and could intrigue a Diamondbacks team that is set to lose both Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen in free agency.
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