Detroit Tigers news: Welcome to the All-Star Break

Well, here we are at the All-Star Break. The Tigers are in a position many of us didn’t expect at the midway point. Instead of battling for first place in a weak division, the team is eight games out, and we’re all wondering who is going to be the first player traded. While you’re waiting to see how things are going to shake out, here are your Monday links.

Fleeing the Cleve

After getting embarrassed on Friday night, and losing despite a solid start by Justin Verlander on Saturday, the Tigers managed to salvage one win on Sunday night, narrowly escaping a sweep at the hands of the Cleveland Indians. One interesting thing to come out of Saturday’s tilt was this look at the career match-up between Justin Verlander and Michael Brantley.

Something has to work

If you were one of the people thinking that Victor Martinez moving out of the clean-up spot was going to shake things up, you may be disappointed. It’s a small sample size, but the last 10 games are indicating that it hasn’t really made much of a difference.

Speaking of changes, Miguel Cabrera seems to have reverted to an old batting stance. Apparently he’s using what has most commonly been his two-strike approach as his standard batting stance these days. He says it’s a return to what he did when he won a triple crown and a few batting titles so I guess that’s hard to argue with.

Trades

It wouldn’t be a 2017 daily links article if I didn’t include the latest scuttlebutt about potential trades.

The folks at MLB Trade Rumors report that Ken Rosenthal believes opposing teams see Justin Verlander as a diminishing asset, and that his performance this season is hindering his trade value.

I’m not sure if that’s an accurate take on Verlander, but Justin Wilson seems to be an asset drawing interest, and the Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals are two teams that are kicking the tires.

If you’re looking for a more generalized overview of trade possibilities, here’s a look at five Tigers players who are candidates and what other clubs may be thinking regarding their trade status.

Frustrations of a struggling team

When it comes to the ongoing conversation around Tigers trade possibilities, Miguel Cabrera seems to be getting pretty frustrated. It’s understandable. Playing better baseball is a good way to avoid these types of situations. Clubhouse meetings are good to see, but at some point you have to move beyond talking about sucking less and actually improving the product on the field. That’s a step this team is having a difficult time executing.

For your spare time

Top 25 futures gamers who turned into stars. You might recognize some of these guys. Yankees first baseman Greg Bird responds to questions about his desire to play. Are we becoming numb to the greatness of Clayton Kershaw? These are some not so attractive statues of major league players. Not only did the Minnesota Twins break my heart by signing Bartolo Colon, but the idea that Big Sexy spurned the New York Mets to play for the Twins because he might want to be on a team with playoff chances is something I never thought I’d see in the 2017 season.

Baseball is awesome

Steven “The Thunderer” Souza Jr. reaches his Hands Across the Sea of the outfield and lays out for a catch on a ball that wasn’t going to be The Fairest of the Fair.