Tigers Linked by MLB Insider to Possible Trade Deadline Splash for All-Star

The Detroit Tigers have been one of the best teams in Major League Baseball this season and have the makings of a real World Series contender.

If they are going to reach the potential it seems like they have though, they will need to make some additions at the trade deadline at the end of July to gear up for the home stretch and postseason.

Many have pointed to the bullpen and the need for a legitimate shutdown closer as the biggest area of need, however perhaps the Tigers need to go back somewhere they tried to address during the offseason but failed.

The left side of the infield has not been the liability many suspected it could be, but it has not been World Series level either.

In an article breaking down teams ahead of the deadline, baseball insider Jeff Passan of ESPN named Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette as the best possible fit for Detroit's needs.

Passan Names Bo Bichette as Best Trade Deadline Fit for Tigers

"...renting Bichette's services before he hits free agency would infuse the lineup with the sort of bat Trey Sweeney simply doesn't yet wield," Passan wrote. "Bichette's gap-to-gap power would play well at Comerica Park and lengthen a lineup that has scored more runs than anticipated....The Tigers don't need much. With their prospect depth, though, they can afford a luxury item."

Bringing in someone like Bichette, who before last year was one of the best shortstops in the game, is an extremely intriguing prospect.

For one, it adds a player who was responsible for a 14.3 bWAR from 2021-2023 and perennial All-Star to a lineup which wanted a right-handed power hitter in free agency.

Bichette has seemingly bounced back from last season's disastrous campaign, currently slashing .276/.322/.425 with seven home runs and 32 RBI.

An everyday shortstop would give the Detroit the versatility to play the hottest hand at third base and simply allow A.J. Hinch another chess piece to move around.

He does not have the kind of star power he had two years ago after the way last season went, but he has inspired hope this season that he still has a ton left in the tank at 27 years old.

If the Tigers want to make a deadline splash for an impending free agent whose production can outweigh his trade cost, a deal for Bichette could be where they wind up looking.