Maybe it's because the weather's getting so hot in this part of the country, but people are getting antsy for some trade talk.
Is Eric Gagne dead to Detroit? On Friday, The Cutoff Man posted an excerpt from CNNSI.com that said Gagne submitted a list of teams he would approve being traded to. But the Tigers weren't among the 12 teams listed. Actually, none of the teams on the list are in contention, which is probably Gagne's passive-aggressive way of saying he doesn't want to be traded. But I suppose things can change.
Gagne has pitched damn well lately, and Lone Star Ball would hate to see him go (though acknowledges the inevitability). But I still think Texas has a few other players worth pursuing, even if Gagne doesn't want to go to Detroit and Mark Teixeira costs too much.
Akinori Otsuka could definitely help the Tigers' bullpen. And here's another name I'll pull out that I haven't seen mentioned: Brad Wilkerson. That might draw groans because his stats say he stinks. But he's a left-handed bat with some pop, he's played some first base, and probably wouldn't demand so much in return.
And this will surely disappoint The Daily Fungo's Josh Wallen, but Joe Sheehan of Baseball Prospectus noted five teams he thought might pursue Adam Dunn (who hit two home runs yesterday, by the way), and again, the Tigers weren't listed.
In fact, Sheehan listed another seven teams that might be interested, but realistically wouldn't put together a deal, and Detroit wasn't among those, either. Of all the teams listed, Sheehan likes the Yankees' chances of getting Dunn in a trade. Blurgh.