So much for a slow Easter Sunday.  I thought I sent enough idle speculation up into the Tigersosphere for today, but MLB Trade Rumors is posting a report from the Newark Star-Ledger that says Detroit is trying to entice the Oakland Athletics into trading closer Huston Street.

By the end of the note, however, Dan Graziano seems to have embraced the reality of the situation:

Would the Tigers like to have Street in their bullpen?  Of course they would.  Last year, he notched 16 saves in 48 appearances, with 63 strikeouts in 50 innings, in addition to a 5-2 record and 2.88 ERA.

Will Billy Beane trade him?  Almost certainly.  Moneyball told us what he thinks of closers, that any decent pitcher should be able to accumulate saves and hike up his value.  But c'mon, do the Tigers really have the kind of juice (i.e., "multiple top prospects") it would take to pry him from Billy Beane's hands at this point?

Street missed two months last season due to an ulnar nerve injury in his elbow, and initially struggled when he returned.  But he steadily improved, and pitched very well in September.  Given the market for pitching, Beane stands to fetch a nice return for his closer.

One fringe benefit to having Street around, however, would be more opportunity to show this highlight: