The Detroit Tigers are in a prime position to bring a World Series championship to Detroit for the first time in 41 years.
At 51-31, the Tigers are tied for the best record in Major League Baseball with the Los Angeles Dodgers and they haven’t moved from that spot all season long.
Detroit is a very balanced team and features elite pitching and timely hitting. The Tigers could use a power bat in the middle of the lineup to boost the lineup, but the lineup is already capable of winning games.
Tarik Skubal has been electric again and is bidding for his second consecutive American League Cy Young award.
The bullpen is 13th in MLB with an ERA of 3.69, which could be better. The closing situation is a committee which could be dangerous in the postseason.
Detroit has converted 23 of 33 save opportunities, creating a case for acquiring a real closer at the trade deadline.
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Nick Selbe of Sports Illustrated predicts that the Tigers will land seven-time All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman from the Boston Red Sox.
“Playing for his fifth team in four years, Chapman could be headed for a sixth if the Red Sox continue their slide down the standings,” wrote Selbe. “And his form could ensure that the cost to acquire him is much steeper than a typical 37-year-old free agent to be. That’s because the lefty has been as lights-out as ever, with a 38.1% strikeout rate and a career-best 7.9% walk rate.”
Chapman, 37, is having perhaps the most dominant season of his career. The two-time World Series champion is 3-2 with 14 saves, a 1.36 ERA and a 0.82 WHIP in 36 appearances.
If the Tigers do bring Chapman in, the strength of their bullpen drastically increases and so do their World Series odds.
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