The Detroit Tigers have already made the kind of deadline move that usually signals a team is waving the white flag. They dealt away their two best starting pitchers, and still, here they are: hanging around the race, refusing to go away.
That’s the strange part of this season. Detroit is only a series’ worth of games behind the Chicago White Sox in the American League Central, thanks, Red Sox, and just one game out of the third AL Wild Card spot.
If the Tigers can put together solid baseball over the next six weeks, the path to the postseason is very much still open. They’ve even got a recent example to lean on, since the 2024 team sold at the deadline and still made the playoffs.
The trade market is off the table now, but that doesn’t mean the roster is frozen. Detroit still has a few buttons it can push if it wants to give this unexpected push a real chance. Three names stand out.
The bullpen is the obvious place to start, and Lou Trivino is one possible arm to take a shot on. He’s already bounced between two teams this season, and the results have been rough: a 15.00 ERA in five appearances, with two coming for the Baltimore Orioles and three for the Philadelphia Phillies.
Still, he was far more useful in 2025, when he posted a 3.97 ERA across 47 outings. Trivino recently elected free agency after being DFA’d by Philadelphia and had been activated from the IL after dealing with a "thoracic muscle spasm".
He may not solve everything, but Detroit’s bullpen has been a problem all year, and at this point he’s at least worth a look.
Craig Kimbrel is another veteran reliever sitting there as an option. He was recently DFA’d by the Tampa Bay Rays and also chose free agency.
His overall 2024 numbers are a 4.81 ERA between Tampa Bay and the New York Mets, but his work with the Rays was better, as he logged a 3.86 ERA there. He’s not the overpowering closer he once was, but if Detroit could get the version of Kimbrel that showed up in Tampa Bay, that would help.
The idea of Kenley Jansen and Craig Kimbrel in the same 'pen? It might be more than a Cooperstown fever dream.
The lineup could use a jolt too, and Corey Julks makes sense as the internal move to consider. Zach McKinstry is still getting run despite hitting .216/.296/.326, and he’s been a weak spot for much of the season.
Julks, meanwhile, has put together a solid Triple-A year with a .280/.355/.463 line, 15 home runs, and 54 runs batted in. Detroit was smart to grab him before the season, and now it may be time to use him.
He is not on the 40-man roster, so the Tigers would need to make a corresponding move, but he could give the offense a needed spark.
The options are limited, sure. But if Detroit really wants to keep this improbable playoff chase alive after shipping out two of its best players, these are the kinds of moves that can still matter.
In Other News...
Kenley Jansen Is Setting A Tone The Tigers Suddenly Need
Kenley Jansen has been one of the steadier pieces in Detroit since coming back from injury in mid-June, giving the Tigers the kind of late-inning presence they wanted as the roster shifted around the trade deadline. The veteran closer has been effective across his recent work, and the broader message around him has been about more than saves. It has been about tone, accountability and a veteran willing to help hold a changing clubhouse together.
Jansen said he still needs to improve, even with the strong run he has put together lately, a reminder that the Tigers are asking more of him than clean innings. Detroit also passed along rehab updates for Brant Hurter and Wenceel Perez while reshuffling the pitching staff to make room for Jackson Jobes return, and those moving parts only sharpen the need for steady voices at the back end. For a team trying to settle in after deadline changes, Jansen looks ready to be part of that answer, even if the full picture is still taking shape. [Read more 🡒]
Jackson Jobe's Return Could Change Detroit's Playoff Push
Jackson Jobe is back on the active roster at a time when Detroit could use every bit of pitching help it can get. The Tigers activated the right-hander from the 60-day injured list and sent reliever Brenan Hanifee to Triple-A Toledo, a roster shuffle that comes on the heels of trades involving Casey Mize and Gage Workman and creates a clearer path for Jobe to step into the rotation.
The move gives Detroit a fresh arm with real long-term significance, but it also brings a measure of uncertainty as the club tries to keep its playoff push on track. Jobes return has been a long time coming after Tommy John surgery, and his next outing will be watched closely as the Tigers sort through a staff that has already been reshaped by recent transactions. [Read more 🡒]