Peter Christian, Soxman and Paul M. Banks break down what each MLB contender needs to make the play-offs
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Trade Rumors begin to heat up as the MLB trade deadline approaches. The deadline is 4 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 31. Until then teams may trade players freely without having to go through the waiver process.
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 Wow. The Tigers are probably the most disappointing team in baseball. The puddle of crap they call a team is such a waste. They were predicted to be one of the fiercest line-ups ever created on paper. Instead they’ve just become a bunch of names of players who had great years before this one. Miguel Cabrera, Edgar Renteria, Carlos Guillen, Gary Sheffield, Justin Verlander, Nate Robertson, Kenny Rogers, Fernando Rodney and Joel Zumaya just to name a few. Still they have the talent (I think) to put together a great run. The Tigers need to shore up the back end of their rotation (Verlander seems to have turned a corner and should be a .500 pitcher by the first week of August) and bullpen. They also need to get healthy as injuries to Renteria, Sheffield, Curtis Granderson and Magglio Ordonez have curbed the Tigers expected offensive production. With the injuries however, the Tigers (and the rest of the league) have had a chance to see some of the young prospects that the Tigers might be looking to deal in order to get back into the race. Matt Joyce has come alive with the bat in his hands and Clete Thomas (worst American name in baseball) has shown prowess in both the field and at the plate. Another couple of veteran names that may get tossed around are Brandon Inge and Marcus Thames. Inge has gotten a lot of playing time lately with Pudge Rodriguez trying to get healthy and may be on display for other teams. Thames, on the other hand, had one of the biggest power surges in recent history when he hit something like 8 home runs in 7 games (which is good, but when you add to the fact that in those 7 games he only had 8 hits… yup, all homers. Amazing). That kind of reminds me of the Ricky Bobby line, “If you ain’t first, you’re last.â€Â If it ain’t gone, it’s out.†Thames could be a solid addition to a team like the Rays if the Tigers slide out of contention after the break.
–Peter Christian
Experts have all picked the Tigers to make the biggest push in the second half. I think they still have too many injury problems and a huge payroll to make any additional significant moves. Bottom line: they need pitching. They have also expressed interest in Freddy Garcia and have scouted Damaso Marte and Jon Rauch very closely.
–The Soxman
Talk about your ultimate fantasy team…that it a nightmare team on paper. Is this Yankees West or something? Their pitching got old and decrepit overnight and the best way to stave off the degeneration is with some bullpen help. NOW! As disappointing as this season has been in “the D,†the Twins and Sox may not have the staying power Did their If I’m trying to catch a Tiger by the toe, I’d first try to replace closer Todd Jones, his 4.78 ERA is the third worst among all closers in baseball.
–Paul M. Banks
7/17- Red Sox
7/18- Yankees
7/19- Rays
7/20- White Sox
7/21- Twins
7/22- Tigers
7/23-Angels
7/24- A’s
7/25- Rangers
7/26- Phillies, Mets, Marlins
7/27- Cubs
7/28-Brewers, Cardinals
7/29- Dodgers, Diamondbacks