Tigers trade deadline takeaways: Was bullpen improved enough?

New York Times

21 hours ago

DETROIT — The timer ran out. The trade deadline has passed.
The Detroit Tigers had one of the more … interesting … approaches in the league, not only staying true to their pragmatic identity but largely bargain shopping rather than making strong upgrades to their MLB roster.
But like everything with the Tigers, there are layers to these decisions.
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Here are the biggest takeaways from the Tigers at the deadline:
The Tigers entered deadline season with serious needs in the bullpen. We can keep repeating the stats: A 4.99 ERA from relievers since June 1. The worst whiff rate among relief pitchers in the American League. And still a first-place team in a wide-open American League with a realistic path to a World Series berth.
Rather than make splashy bullpen upgrades, the Tigers shopped around the edges.
Their bullpen moves:
Detroit also traded for 41-year-old right-handed starter Charlie Morton at the buzzer in exchange for minor-league left-hander Micah Ashman.
Finnegan, formerly the Nationals' closer, was the best addition of the bullpen bunch. He has a 4.38 ERA and 20 saves this season, but his whiff rate ranks in the 24th percentile, so he doesn't exactly help the Tigers' mission to get more swing and miss in the late innings.
Montero has a 4.76 lifetime ERA but induces swing and miss at an admirable clip. He was stellar for the Astros back in 2022 but has one of the highest walk rates in the league. He's a project the Tigers hope can get right down the stretch.
They also traded for Sewald, a proven MLB pitcher, but also one who has thrown only 15 1/3 innings this season. He is on the injured list with a shoulder strain. The Tigers immediately transferred him to the 60-day IL to clear a 40-man spot for Finnegan. This means Sewald won't be eligible to pitch for the Tigers until at least Sept. 10. Chalk that up to a low-cost lottery ticket.
Heuer, meanwhile, is having a good season in Triple A, has some real upside and will first report to Toledo as depth for the Tigers.
All these pitchers could help the Tigers. Let's not discount that. Bullpens are fluid and volatile things. There is some strategy here. Might this quantity-based approach be more prudent than sending over a large prospect package for a more flashy reliever, only to gain a few more decimal points of WAR?
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That's the optimistic view.
But this is a competitive industry, and the Tigers were lapped by other contending teams willing to take bigger swings. Ryan Helsley, Jhoan Duran, Tyler Rogers, David Bednar and even Mason Miller, among others, went elsewhere. In all those deals, buying teams were willing to part with various levels of prospect capital.
As the deadline came and went, the Tigers did not simply hold onto their top prospects. They kept their farm system almost entirely intact.
For all the value in the minor leagues, it's funny to look at who they designated for assignment to initially make room for Sewald on the 40-man roster. That was Matt Manning, once a No. 9 overall pick and a touted top prospect. Manning's development never fully clicked. He leaves the organization with a 4.43 ERA in 50 career MLB games. After his DFA, the Tigers traded him to the Phillies for minor-league outfielder Josueth Quinonez.
The Tigers evaluate and draft differently — and by all accounts, better — than they did under the regime that drafted Manning. But the point about the uncertainty of prospects still stands.
Here, after the deadline, the Tigers acquired players to deepen and perhaps help their bullpen. The team is at least somewhat better. The future remains bright.
But it's worth wondering: Are Detroit's middle-tier prospects really worth more than a high-level relief arm?
And if this isn't prospect hoarding, what is?
The Tigers did not add any position players at the deadline. If they were not willing to make an aggressive play for Eugenio Suárez, perhaps that is not the worst thing. They could have tried to add a platoon hitter slightly more proven than, say, Jahmai Jones. That would fit the winning-on-the-margins style this team prides itself on.
Instead, the Tigers seem content rolling with a versatile lineup that scored the third-most runs of any American League team in the first half. Since the All-Star break, though, the Tigers rank 25th in the league with a .671 OPS. The worst of their cold spell seems to be over — they are now winners of four straight — but they are also banking on players such as Zach McKinstry to continue exceeding their career norms.
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As for offensive improvements, the Tigers seem to be hoping players such as Matt Vierling and Parker Meadows (now on the injured list with a quad strain) can get going in the second half to make up for any dropoff elsewhere.
In addition to Morton, the Tigers traded with the Twins for right-hander Chris Paddack and minor-league reliever Randy Dobnak earlier this week. Paddack, viewed as a back-of-rotation starter, had a nice first outing with the Tigers on Wednesday, going six innings and surrendering only one run.
Adding Morton at the buzzer was a slight surprise given the Tigers hadn't been seriously linked to any starting pitchers. But he could add helpful depth to this rotation. Morton is on a one-year, $15 million deal — the same money the Tigers gave Alex Cobb, who has yet to pitch this season due to injury. Morton, who pitched for A.J. Hinch in 2017 and 2018, was a disaster to begin the season, posting an 8.35 ERA in his first 11 starts. But after a brief foray in the bullpen, Morton has been better since returning to the rotation, posting a 3.88 ERA in his 11 most recent starts.
In Detroit, Tarik Skubal is the unquestioned ace. But with Reese Olson out for the season (that was the motivation for getting Paddack) the Tigers will look to up-and-down starters Casey Mize and Jack Flaherty to find more consistency down the stretch.
José Urquidy, signed this offseason but still rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, could pitch for the Tigers in August and September. Rookie Troy Melton could remain in the rotation or head to the bullpen. Detroit might even still be hoping Cobb can give them something before year's end.
In case it's not clear, the Tigers are relying on young pitchers and arms past their primes to round out both their rotation and their bullpen. They are trusting their models and clinging to their prospects.
This time last year, the Tigers were sellers and ended up making the postseason.
This year, they were clear buyers who chose to buy up quantity on the margins.
Are they the ones operating better than the rest of the league?
Or is this passive deadline approach going to come back to haunt them?
(Top photo of Kyle Finnegan:)