Busy but Not Better? Tigers’ Deadline Strategy Under Fire

Everyone has an opinion on the Tigers' trade deadline moves, and former MLB GM Jim Bowden has a pretty strong one. He saw the Tigers' front office doing a lot of eyewash, and isn’t sold on the Tigers’ trade deadline flurry.

Detroit added six pitchers in total, including veteran starters Charlie Morton and Chris Paddack, plus four bullpen arms aimed at stabilizing a unit that had been running on fumes.

 On paper, it looked active. In reality? Bowden says it lacked bite.

“The team that added too much quantity, but not enough quality,” Bowden wrote in The Athletic, calling out Detroit’s failure to land a true high-leverage reliever or impact right-handed bat. Both needs were glaring, especially with the Tigers eyeing a deep October run.

To be fair, the Tigers' moves will help. 

The rotation additions carry some upside. Morton brings playoff experience, and Paddack offers depth. They will help eat innings in August and September, take some pressure off Tarik Skubal and Jack Flaherty. 

But neither moves the needle much in a postseason setting. And while the bullpen now runs deeper, the Tigers still lack a late-inning force who can miss bats in pressure moments.

As for the offense, Detroit’s search for a right-handed bat came up empty. 

With outfielder Riley Greene and first baseman Kerry Carpenter both swinging from the left side, the Tigers remain vulnerable against tough southpaws.

In fairness, GM Scott Harris didn’t sit still. 

But with control of the American League Central, Harris’ focus should have been on the postseason matchup. The Tigers stayed busy, but as Bowden points out, they didn’t make the kind of leap contending teams need.

Bowden isn't the only analyst who thinks the Tigers were deadline losers.

Now it’s up to the team on the field to prove the moves were enough. But as October looms, the sense around the league is that Detroit may have played it too safe.