The Detroit Tigers lost again. They were swept in a three-game series by the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates this week and have now dropped nine of their last 10 games. They still have the largest division lead in the sport (8.5 games), but they now have just the third-best record in the American League, and are struggling in all facets of the game.
Their trade deadline plans will be the same — they should be buyers — but now, it feels as if the Tigers need to be more aggressive than they had anticipated. No longer does it feel like Detroit is the clear favorite to represent the AL in the World Series. They'd need a huge deadline for it to feel like that again.
With that in mind, assuming Harris does make several big moves, these four players should either get dealt away or worse before July 31.
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4) RP Carlos Hernandez
The Tigers claimed Carlos Hernandez off waivers in mid-June, and all he's done in his short stint in Detroit is show why the Philadelphia Phillies DFA'd him in the first place. He threw a scoreless inning in Wednesday's loss, but entered the day having allowed 13 runs (12 earned) in 9.2 innings of work.
Hernandez is a hard thrower who has good strikeout stuff, but his command has never been good, and his 5.18 career ERA in 185 appearances shows that he might never figure it out at the MLB level. The talent is there, but this is a results-based business.
Hernandez won't have any trade value and can't get sent down to the Minors since he's out of options, but he should be DFA'd as soon as tomorrow. He doesn't have a place in a bullpen for a team trying to win the World Series.
3) INF Trey Sweeney
Trey Sweeney began the year as Detroit's starting shortstop but eventually lost his job to Javier Baez. Baez's performance obviously had a lot to do with that, but Sweeney hasn't had a good year either, particularly with the bat. He's slashing .209/.276/.304 with five home runs and 27 RBI in 84 games this season. He offers some speed and isn't a terrible defender, but the bat has just been brutal.
Now, the Tigers find themselves in a bit of a pickle with Sweeney. He was once an intriguing prospect, the return in the Jack Flaherty trade last summer, and was part of the team's plans earlier this season. But now, it's hard to envision Sweeney playing much at all in the Majors this season barring injury.
If the Tigers trade for a bat, there's a good chance Sweeney gets sent down to the Minors, as he doesn't have much of a role on this team. There's also the chance the Tigers decide to trade him now, knowing he might lose all of his value if they keep him trapped in the Minors. Either way, Sweeney shouldn't be part of the 26-man roster by the time the calendar flips to August.
2) 3B Jace Jung
Like Sweeney, Jace Jung was expected to play a major role for the Tigers this season. Also like Sweeney, Jung has struggled, and has seen an All-Star (Zach McKinstry) replace him at third base full-time. Jung had just five hits in 45 at-bats across 18 games in the Majors earlier this season before getting sent down to Triple-A, and his numbers at that level aren't exactly stellar.
The Tigers have to make a decision with Jung, a player once seen as one of Detroit's top prospects. In an ideal world, he'd be in the Majors getting regular playing time, but a Tigers team trying to compete for a World Series win can't afford to give him that opportunity.
Right n ow, Jung is simply stuck in the Minors, offering little value to Detroit when he could be traded for a player who can help the Tigers. It'd make a lot of sense for the Tigers to trade Jung while he still has some value in exchange for more of a win-now piece. It's never fun to part with a top prospect, especially when he hasn't played much in the Majors, but doing so makes more sense than keeping him trapped in Triple-A, especially when you're in win-now mode.
1) SP Troy Melton
Wednesday was supposed to be an exciting day for Tigers fans because one of their top pitching prospects, Troy Melton, was set to make his MLB debut. Unfortunately, Melton gave up a home run to the first batter he faced, and gave up a grand slam in the second inning. Overall, he allowed six runs in five innings of work against arguably the worst offensive team in the sport.
Melton is an intriguing prospect who might be part of Detroit's future rotation, but he very clearly isn't ready just yet. The Tigers have struggled to find a fifth starter for much of the year, and Melton proved that he's not ready to be that guy right now.
The Tigers should look to add a starting pitcher at the trade deadline, thus making Melton's spot on the team's active roster far from secure. Whether they trade him for something useful at the deadline or just send him down remains to be seen, but it's hard to envision him being with the big league team down the stretch.