The Detroit Tigers are interested in trading for a relief pitcher. The list of pitchers they might target includes Antonio Bastardo of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Not that Bastardo should be too flattered by Detroit’s interest, because they have eyes for other pitchers as well. In fact, they have eyes for a whole bunch of relief pitchers.
Well OK then.
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The left-handed Bastardo, far enough removed from a PED suspension that it is not impeding his 2014 season, has been outstanding thus far. In 42 games he has a 3.38 ERA and an impressive 10.8 K/9 mark.
He is especially tough on left-handed hitters, holding them to a .143 average. That’s not to say that right-handed hitters have exactly been roughing him up, however, as he has held those hitters to a .163 mark. Using a nasty fastball-slider combination, Bastardo is tough on all hitters and a good option late in games.
That makes him very appealing to contending teams, as the Tigers are not the only ones taking a look.
While teams jostle to trade for a closer, the moves for a guy like Bastardo can be just as important, especially for a team with World Series aspirations like the Tigers.