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The Detroit Tigers are surprisingly one of the best teams in baseball this season. They have a lot of talent, but nobody was projecting them to outperform the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, and others early in the year.
With that in mind, it’s very likely the Tigers get aggressive ahead of the trade deadline to take advantage of the World Series window being so open right now.
The Athletic’s Jim Bowden recently fielded questions ahead of the trade deadline. One fan asked about potential trade targets for the Tigers, and Bowden headlined his list of players with Boston Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman.
Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images
“Aroldis Chapman of the Red Sox, David Bednar of the Pirates, Félix Bautista of the Orioles, Mason Miller of the Athletics, Ryan Helsley of the Cardinals, and Emmanuel Clase of the Guardians should be among their top trade targets, with Chapman and Bednar being the most realistic acquisitions,” Bowden wrote.
For the Red Sox, trading Chapman makes a lot of sense. They’re seemingly falling out of World Series contention due to a mix of drama, bad luck, and injuries. With Chapman sitting on an expiring contract, he makes a lot of sense as a trade chip.
The Tigers have a loaded farm system to trade from, potentially swinging a deal for Chapman without losing any key prospects. With Detroit chasing the top seed in the American League, a deal for a closer like Chapman would work wonders.
The lefty is in the midst of one of the best seasons of his career, holding a 1.25 ERA and 2.0 WAR in 36 innings. This kind of addition to the bullpen would elevate the Tigers quite a bit.
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