Detroit Tigers Floated As Potential Landing Spot For Star Pitcher

The Detroit Tigers look like a team that will be on the fence about what to do with their roster this season. They have been playing right around .500 baseball to this point and most of their stats point to being an average team across the board.

Will the team look to make a push for a playoff spot? Only 5.5 games behind the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central and 3.5 games out of a Wild Card spot, ownership and the front office can certainly convince themselves it is worth taking a shot on.

For a franchise that has missed the postseason in nine straight seasons, having the opportunity to make a run even at a Wild Card spot could be intriguing. As long as the core of the team’s rebuild isn’t on the move, it should be strongly considered.

Who could the Detroit Tigers look to acquire to bolster their roster for a postseason push? MLB insider Jon Heyman has pitched them as a potential suitor for former Cy Young award winner, Justin Verlander. (H/T Heavy)

During a live stream on Bleacher Report, Heyman mentioned the Tigers along with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs and Baltimore Orioles as teams that would be fitting for Verlander. Of course, the Houston Astros would have to waive the white flag on their season and become sellers, something they aren’t planning to do currently.

“I don’t see any chance of us becoming sellers. I think the team is too good. If guys start to turn a corner, good things will happen,” Astros manager Dana Brown said last week about the team’s poor start.

It is easy to understand why the Astros aren’t ready to sell. They made a splash in free agency this past winter, signing Josh Hader to bolster their bullpen and they have a roster full of guys that know what it takes to win a championship.

A few underwhelming weeks in April and May aren’t going to deter them from the main goal of contender for World Series titles. But, if things don’t improve between now and the All-Star break, being sellers becomes more realistic.

If that occurs, Verlander is someone that many teams will target. The Detroit Tigers could be one of them if they continue hovering around the .500 mark and want to make a postseason push. He spent the first 12.5 seasons of his career in the Motor City, including a Cy Young and MVP campaign in 2011.