FanPost

How far out of it are the Tigers by the trade deadline?

Team sell has been picking up momentum with team sell for the next five years poking its head in from time to time suggesting that even valuable low cost pieces like Fulmer should be on the block. I will admit that somewhere team sell is likely right though I am not even certain which team sell is.

So let's look at the standings in the American League Central

The Cleveland Indians currently "rule" the division. They are sitting at 47 and 43 after having gone 4-6 in their last ten games including being swept by the Athletics (42-50) over the last three games. Between now and the trade deadline, no including games on the 31st after the deadline, the Indians have 13 games. 3 against the Giants (35-58), 3 against the Blue Jays (42-49), 1 against the Reds (39-52), 3 against the Angels (46-49), and 3 against the White Sox (38-52). The math does not work out well for the Tigers on that one as the next 13 games the Indians play are against teams with a combined 200-260 record. Let's hope the Tribe can play down to the competition and go 6-7 in those games putting them at 53 and 50 on the eve of the deadline.

Meanwhile the Detroit Tigers sit at 41 and 49 having gone 5-5 over their last 10 games and taking 2 of 3 against the Blue Jays since the break. The 13 games remaining through the trade deadline feature 7 against Kansas City (45-45), 3 against the Twins (46-45), and 3 against the Houston Astros (62-30). Lets assume "best" case scenario, absent a 13 game winning streak, and assuming the Tigers go 5-2 against the Royals, 2-1 against the Twins, and 1-2 against the Astros. This brings Detroit to 49-54 and has closed the gap to "only" 4 games behind Cleveland.

I have ignored the Twins and KC between the Tigers and the Indians for now. A move towards the Indians with such wins over KC and the Twins does at lot to solve that issue on its own.

No the Tigers should not turn away any offer that blows them away but they can, with a little bit of luck, bring themselves out of the "obvious seller" mode that they are currently in. 4 games back on July 31st would not be insurmountable and the Tigers front office could hedge on "going for it" in a fairly weak AL Central.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of the <em>Bless You Boys</em> writing staff.