With the non-waiver trade deadline less than a week away, and the Detroit Tigers currently 5 1/2 games out of first place in the AL Central, the winds of rumor are beginning to swirl around a team that previously looked to be sitting out of the wheeling-and-dealing fun that could take place throughout baseball.

Did we think we heard the name "Sheffield" or is it just the wind making that "shhh" noise as it blows by?  (Or maybe I heard Blake make that sound.)  According to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark, the Tigers are apparently jingling Gary Sheffield around the league to see if there's any interest in him.  Despite the .221/.331/.365 average, there's still some sizzle to that waggle, as many hopeful Tigers fans point out, and Sheffield could help a team in need of a right-handed bat.  But how could Detroit make a deal compelling?  By agreeing to eat a significant portion of the $14 million that Sheff is owed next season. 

Another veteran underperformer who the Tigers might like to deal is Edgar Renteria.  And there could be a willing trade partner in the Los Angeles Dodgers.  If the Dodgers' front office can decide who's actually making the call, SI.com's Jon Heyman reports that a veteran shortstop is at the top of their shopping list.  One team they might have to compete with on that is the White Sox, who are apparently willing to deal Orlando Cabrera.

The purpose behind any deal, of course, would be to get pitching.  (Though Stark says a young shortstop is also on the Detroit's wish list.)  And either the Orioles or Blue Jays have someone the Tigers are interested in, according to the Baltimore Sun.  The question, as Billfer points out, is whether O's reliever George Sherrill is the guy Detroit scouts were checking out, or Jays starter A.J. Burnett.

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If the Tigers are interested in making a trade before July 31, we're not sure if relievers are a priority on the shopping list.  If Fernando Rodney and Joel Zumaya are healthy and mechanically sound, probably not.  Starting pitchers and utility infielders might also be on the list.  But that's probably something we could devote an entire post to. 

One reliever whose name was associated in trade rumors with the Tigers early this season - and at last year's trade deadline - was Washington's Chad Cordero.  Cordero has been out all season with shoulder tendonitis, however, so if he ever was a trade target for Detroit, he probably wasn't this year.  But if the Tigers were still curious about Cordero's health, thinking of him as a possibility, they can officially begin to look elsewhere.  His season is done. 

After the Nationals wanted to know why Cordero's rehab was going so slowly and soreness persisted, the team had his shoulder examined.  A tear in his labrum was found by an arthrogram.  Here's more from Nationals Journal:

* He officially has a torn right labrum; many on the team believe Cordero had the injury all season, and tried to pitch in spite of it.  Asked if Cordero has likely been pitching with the torn labrum all season, pitching coach Randy St. Claire said, "I think he probably was, because he said it didn't hurt, but we didn't see the velocity.  Normally with Chad -- he wasn't a mile or two off.  He was 10 miles per hour off. He said there was no pain, so we thought it was maybe just weak."

* Worst case, rehab on such injuries can require 12 months... or more.  Depends on what kind of healer you are.  For now, the team is just ruling Cordero out for the rest of this season.  The team will know more about the extent of the injury once it's operated on.

If the Tigers are still interested in talking with the Nats about their relievers - though Jim Bowden has been an unrealistic trade partner over the past couple of seasons - Jon Rauch could be a possibility.  In 42 appearances this season, Rauch has 16 saves (in 21 chances) with 39 strikeouts and six walks in 42 1/3 innings.

Anyone up for a little trade talk (ranging from intriguing to wildly speculative) for a pick-me-up on this first Saturday morning of the season?  I agree with Big Al's comment a couple of days that it's really too early for the Tigers to be making a deal, but I suppose you always check to see what might be available or lay the groundwork for potential transactions to come. 

On Wednesday, I posted a rumor that Detroit had been talking to the Washington Nationals during Spring Training about reliever Chad Cordero.  But given Cordero's current shoulder tendinitis (which now has him on the DL) and more expensive salary, it was suggested that perhaps the Tigers should be more interested in middle reliever Jon Rauch.  During his weekly chat at washingtonpost.com, beat writer Barry Svrluga confirmed that 1) the Tigers and Nationals have talked trade frequently over the past couple of season, and 2) Rauch could very well be the preferred target.

Washington, D.C.: Any trade rumors you are hearing?

Barry Svrluga: The Tigers are very much in need of bullpen help, and they have sniffed around the Nationals in that regard for the better part of three years.  They can't take Cordero now, given his health, but they will watch Rauch very closely.

(via MLB Trade Rumors)

On the more speculative front, Dayn Perry proposed a trade for Baseball Prospectus that might seem feasible, but could involve some daydreaming.  It's premium content, so I'll sum it up in one sentence: How would Rick Porcello to the Twins for Joe Nathan suit you?  Perry makes positive and negative arguments for both teams, but here's a sampling:

In the AL, there's precious little margin for error, and that means the Tigers don't have the luxury of trying to scheme their way around a sub-optimal pen. So to the market they must go.

[...]

Finally, trading Nathan gets the Twins out from under the rather silly four-year, $47 million contract extension to which they signed him last month. If Nathan's limited no-trade provision allows him to block a deal to Detroit, then the Tigers can likely coax him their way by agreeing to pick up his 2012 option.

Given how Porcello looked in his first start of the season, and with the Tigers likely having a need for starting pitching in the very near future, it's difficult to imagine them trading away the last remaining jewel of their minor league season.  Even if it meant getting exactly the type of reliever they need.  (Last year, Nathan posted 37 saves and a 1.88 ERA with 77 strikeouts in 71 2/3 innings.)

But as Perry pointed out, Minnesota just made a substantial commitment to Nathan that should entrench him as their closer for the next four years.  Even if you say the Twins are rebuilding, with the talent they've accumulated and the team's track record under Ron Gardenhire, it might not be too long before they're competing for the AL Central top spot again.

But it's at least interesting to think about, no?

Could Detroit get some bullpen help from our nation's capital?  No, the federal government isn't stepping in (as much as some of us might like some legislative aid in the matter), but according to the Washington DC Examiner, the Tigers chatted with the Washington Nationals during Spring Training about reliever Chad Cordero. 

Jim Bowden has dangled his relievers in front of Dave Dombrowski before.  And knowing what sort of commodity he holds in Cordero and Jon Rauch, Bowden hasn't been afraid to ask for the moon in trade discussions.  (Though one player Bowden may have been interested in is no longer in the Tigers' organization.)

But the 26-year-old Cordero has been battling shoulder tendinitis, which is currently keeping him out of the lineup, and you'd have to think Detroit has already had enough of that stuff with Fernando Rodney. 

Last season for the Nationals, Cordero saved 37 games (in 46 opportunities), posting a 3.33 ERA over 75 innings, along with averaging 7.5 strikeouts per nine innings.  However, he also gave up 75 hits, which is a number you'd really not prefer from your middle relievers.

If the Tigers were to acquire Cordero, they'd have him for one more year of arbitration.  This year, he avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $6.5 million contract with the Nationals. 

That might make Rauch a more appealing option, as he's set to be paid $3.2 million over the next two years, with a $2.9 million club option for 2010.  Last year, he pitched in 87 1/3 innings, posting a 3.61 ERA and 71 strikeouts.  The 29-year-old Rauch also allowed 75 hits of his own, so neither he nor Cordero is the type of blazing strikeout pitcher that the Tigers' bullpen could really use (yet in short supply throughout baseball).  But if you're of the opinion that Detroit needs to find any capable reliever who can get some guys out, two good ones might be available.

(via MLB Trade Rumors)