Tigers trade rumors: Deal for Astros closer Chad Qualls appears dead

Turns out talk of Chad Qualls being traded to the Detroit Tigers was just that - talk.

The Tigers entered a claim on Qualls Monday after the Houston Astros had placed their 36-year-old closer on revocable waivers. As of late this afternoon, a trade between the teams appears to be dead. Neither organization has made an announcement involving Qualls.

#Tigers and #Astros had 1:30 pm ET deadline to get a Chad Qualls deal done, and at this point (2:45 ET), nothing has been announced.

— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) August 27, 2014

About 48 hours later, no Chad Qualls deal, if there was any question left there.

— Jason Beck (@beckjason) August 27, 2014

The clock started ticking when the Tigers made their claim, giving the Astros until 1:30 PM today to negotiate a trade of their closer to the Tigers. If a trade cannot be agreed upon, the Astros would pull Qualls off the waiver wire. It appears that is just what has gone down. If Qualls has been pulled back, he will be ineligible to be traded and remain a member of the Astros for the rest of the 2014 season.

The Tigers may have bigger issues on their mind than bolstering their bullpen after the news broke yesterday starting pitcher Anibal Sanchez may have been lost for the remainder of the regular season due to injury. Any trade ammunition the Tigers would have needed to acquire Qualls may have to be reallocated toward a move to fill what's become a gaping hole in their rotation.

The Tigers have been linked to a least two starters, the Mets' Bartolo Colon and the Astros' Scott Feldman, both of whom have cleared waivers.