This article is presented by Antonio’s Cucina Italiana

Back in April and May, I would tune-in to any Tigers game and look forward to an absolute masterclass in pitching. Skubal, Flaherty, Olson, Mize, and Jobe were pretty much dominating the entire league- and then when you factored in random bullpen games or Montero, it felt like having to watch Maeda every now and again was the reality check to make us remember that, “hey, this pitching staff might actually have 1 (one) guy that’s not lights out”. 

Fast forward to the end of June, and the Tigers starting rotation feels held together by duct tape (name brand shit, mind you) in Tarik Skubal, and then a whole bunch of “meh”. Flaherty is up-and-down to say the least: some days, his curveball looks untouchable and he’s absolutely cruising. Others, it looks like that Tampa Bay game where he gives up eight runs and barely makes it to the third inning. Reese Olson hasn’t pitched in the majors in a month+, and every time it looks like people are moving down to make a roster spot for him, Hinch goes “lol, jk” and Olson gets another rehab start in Toldeo. Alex Cobb, who fuckin’ knows. I have just given up on seeing him play this year. I’m definitely not an athletic trainer, but I cannot imagine that getting injections in your hip is a sign that you’re close to coming up to the big leagues. Jobe is dead. Mize has been solid, but when he was pulled in Tampa the other day due to “concerns” with his leg, I thought to myself, “here we go again”. Luckily it seems as though that was just some cramping; but still, the health of the Tigers rotation is basically down to Skubal, Flaherty, and Mize.

As the trade deadline approaches, and I hear whispers of the Tigers adding a bat, or looking for an upgrade in the infield, or even a bullpen arm, I am now firmly in the camp of “add a starter”. Now, people will immediately think “go get Chris Sale”, and I won’t deny, Sale has been great in his tenure with Atlanta. But being an Atlanta resident (and in all fairness, the Braves as somewhat of my adopted NL team), I can safely say that Atlanta is going to want to bend over any organization that ends up dealing with them. Their farm system, once the envy of the league, is pretty much drained of all meaningful talent, considering they’ve pulled all those guys up to contribute at the major league level. Plus, there seems to be a general consensus (and confirmed through an interview with the GM on local radio) that Atlanta is not going to sell any pieces at the deadline, and instead, they’re going to commit to making a playoff push. On one hand, there’s an element of, “what are you supposed to say”. You certainly can’t go on radio, call your team dogshit, and announce that you’re selling assets. But, on the other hand, I could still see the Braves make a push, assuming there’s a vibe-shift. I am pretty intrigued at either of the Diamondbacks starters whispered to be on the market- Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly- with the latter being the guy that I think could make a huge impact without breaking the bank. Kelly isn’t super overpowering, but he’s got that precision that I think our pitching coaches could work wonders with. I get Doug Fister vibes from him; just a guy that is never going to be a Skubal or Good Jack Flaherty, but if you can slot him in on the back end of the rotation, he could be a total steal. Plus, he’s got World Series experience and was absolutely lights out when the Diamondbacks were there a few years back.

I know that people will still be on the Bregman train, and I certainly won’t be upset if the Tigers pick him up. I feel a bit more hesitant to look at someone like Alcantara, Sale, or any other big name starting pitcher- simply because I do not want to sacrifice the future of the Tigers. People talk a lot about windows, and with our Tigers, I think the window has just opened. If we play our cards right, and make smart moves at the deadline, it could stay that way for a long time.