Baseball insiders believe the Detroit Tigers will continue big-game hunting before the July 31 trade deadline, hoping to land another front-line pitcher, such as Colorado's Ubaldo Jimenez, or an impact position player, such as the Mets' Jose Reyes or Carlos Beltran.
Tigers General Manager Dave Dombrowski and manager Jim Leyland are both in the final year of their contracts, so the team has a feeling of desperation. Most teams are afraid to unload prospects and mortgage the future; but most teams don't have as much riding on one season as the 2011 Tigers.
Cleveland is in first place, and White Sox GM Kenny Williams is always dangerous, but the team that scares the Tigers the most is the Twins, who blew past them to steal division titles in 2006 and 2009.
The Twins looked like they'd be trade deadline sellers when they were 17-37, but a six-week surge has positioned them to be buyers, especially if they continue climbing during this 12-game homestand against the Royals, Indians and Tigers.
Minnesota's target list isn't nearly as exciting as Detroit's. The Twins have enough starting pitching depth and a strong enough lineup to make another stretch run, but their bullpen has been a train wreck.
Twins relievers still have the worst ERA in the majors, at 5.04.
The fans have lost patience with closer Matt Capps, who blew his seventh save Friday when he served up a two-out, two-run homer to Eric Hosmer in a 2-1 loss to Kansas City. The Twins might turn back to Joe Nathan, who has 250 career saves and a 0.00 ERA over his past seven appearances. Another option is Glen Perkins, who has a 1.87 ERA and already has bailed out Capps in two save situations.
Don't expect the Twins to add another closer. Adding the likes of San Diego's Heath Bell would cause headaches for manager Ron Gardenhire, since that would give him three potential free agents -- including Capps and Nathan -- all hungry for save chances.
