The Tigers are open for business.
Detroit “will listen to offers” for starter Matthew Boyd and slugger Nicholas Castellanos, according to a report from MLB Network, which cites unidentified league sources. The team is also willing to deal closer Shane Greene, along with “virtually any veteran on its roster,” the report says.
Boyd, 28, is in the middle of a career season as he has registered a 5-4 record with a 3.08 ERA in 14 starts. He has struck out 105 and walked 15 in 84 2/3 innings pitched.
Castellanos, meanwhile, is slashing .262/.312/.452 with seven home runs and 24 RBIs in 61 games this season. The 27-year-old has blasted 100 homers over his seven-year career.
The Tigers have been one of the worst teams in baseball and finished play Wednesday with a 25-39 record. They're in fourth place of the American League Central, 18 games behind the division-leading Twins.
“Can it be difficult?” Castellanos said earlier this month about the team’s struggles, via the Detroit Free Press. “Yes. Can it be draining? Yes. But are there lessons to be learned in all of this? Absolutely.”
Detroit is in the middle of a rebuild and last made the playoffs in 2014.
“We knew this was going to be tough,” Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire said last week, via MLB.com. “All we can do is keep competing and trying. We’ve got infielders all over the place, outfielders all over the place. We’ve got basically four starters. It’s a challenge right now.”
The Yankees and Rangers are both reportedly looking to acquire at least one starting pitcher before the July 31 trade deadline.