Kurt has been all over the latest trade rumblings at Mack Avenue Tigers, but I thought I'd try to corral the swirl of rumors into one neat, tidy post this afternoon.
The Washington Nationals have been following Jair Jurrjens at Double-A Erie. No word on whether or not the Tigers have actually been talking trade with Jim Bowden, but he does have two talented relievers in Chad Cordero and Jon Rauch, and could be making a list of who he'd ask for if Detroit wants to make a deal.
Baseball Prospectus doesn't buy a Tigers-Nats deal for Cordero. But they do mention that Detroit had two scouts eyeing the Astros' and Pirates' relief corps, each of which has three pitchers that might provides some help.
Meanwhile, Barry Svrluga is beginning to think the Nats might not make any deals before the trade deadline. Also, check out what Svrluga wrote about Cordero back in April, while questioning whether he really had closer stuff. (I think Rauch would be a better fit for the Tigers anyway, as he's already familiar with the set-up role.)
The Denver Post also noticed the Tigers scouts in attendance during the Nats-Rockies series, and wondered if they might be checking out Brian Fuentes. That kind of seems like wishful thinking, however, since the dude hasn't pitched since July 3.
If the Tigers are still interested in Octavio Dotel, the competition is apparently getting pretty tight. The Kansas City Star says the Dodgers want him bad (probably even more so, now that Takashi Saito is having shoulder issues). And the Tigers aren't even mentioned as one of the potential trade partners, though they could be included in the nebulous "other teams."