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The Detroit Tigers are natural trade partners with the Boston Red Sox.

Detroit has a need in the outfield, and Boston has enough quality players at that position to fill starting outfields for three teams.

Boston has beefed up its batting order thanks to the acquisitions of Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval, but its starting pitchers could use some help. Clay Buchholz is the best of the bunch, but he posted an ugly stat line that included 11 losses and a 5.34 ERA.

The rumored target for Boston is Rick Porcello, according to Frank Pimentel of MLB Hot Corner.

There are pros and cons in dealing Porcello. He may grow too rich for Detroit’s blood, and the team could move on from him.

The downside in dealing him is that he could prove that his breakout season in 2014 was no fluke. If the Tigers don’t get a suitable replacement, they could find themselves in the same situation they found themselves in with Doug Fister last season.

Whether Porcello is dealt to the Red Sox, the Tigers still make ideal trading partners with Boston.

Through free agency and trades, Boston has stockpiled an abundance of outfielders. They include Ramirez, Yoenis Cespedes, Rusney Castillo, Brock Holt, Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr,, Shane Victorino, Allen Craig and Daniel Nava.

Ramirez, Castillo, Holt and Victorino can be crossed off as potential fits. Ramirez and Castillo were only recently signed, while Holt is better suited to a utility role.

Victorino would be an ideal fit, but he is in the final year of a three-year, $39 million deal. He’d be a fit with Detroit if Boston ate money in a trade.

That leaves Cespedes, Betts, Bradley Jr., Craig and Nava.

All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

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The Detroit Tigers have all but relegated themselves to playing next season without last season’s ace, Max Scherzer. 

In fact, they pretty much did so in March when Scherzer turned down a six-year, $144 million extension offer. Once that happened, general manager Dave Dombrowski was pretty much free to start allocating the extra savings elsewhere.

Now here the Tigers are, eight months later. Scherzer’s free-agent market has not developed a month into the offseason, which was expected, and the Tigers have all but discounted him as an option for next season.

“Back then only we could have signed him,” Dombrowski said at the GM meetings earlier this month via Joel Sherman of the New York Post. “Now, 29 other teams could sign him. As you see, the odds don’t improve.”

Dombrowski must now figure out how to dole out the money the Tigers will save assuming they lose Scherzer along with right fielder Torii Hunter. Just based on last season’s salaries, that is a savings of nearly $30 million for 2015 between those players, and the Tigers have needs.

They can do without re-signing Scherzer or someone comparable like Jon Lester, which is why they are not in the rumor mix for either guy. David Price, Justin Verlander, Anibal Sanchez and Rick Porcello make up the rotation for next season. Whoever the Tigers stick in the fifth spot will round out a formidable fivesome that is still good enough to compete for the American League Central title.

This is of course assuming the Tigers have no desire to trade Price or Porcello, who each have one year remaining before they can become free agents and possibly walk away from the Tigers as Scherzer is expected to do. Knowing the Tigers are in danger of losing those guys for nothing but a compensation draft pick, the Miami Marlins and Boston Red Sox have poked around about acquiring one or both of those pitchers. Even Sanchez has been a topic of conversation.

Trading from that pile would leave the Tigers searching for pitching, but as of now they don’t have a pressing need there. Most of the team’s immediate uncertainty is in the bullpen. That unit was among the worst in the majors—27th in ERA (4.29)—and closer Joe Nathan was second in the league with seven blown saves.

Regardless of last season’s ugliness, Dombrowski has said he is comfortable with his reliever situation. Part of the reason is because the Tigers picked up Joakim Soria’s $7 million option after trading for him during last season, and they expect to have Bruce Rondon ready for spring training after he missed last season because of Tommy John surgery.

Even still, the bullpen can’t be called reliable until it performs as such, and with the money the team is saving on Scherzer, adding a quality, dominant free-agent reliever like Andrew Miller seems like the easy play. Miller, who was drafted by the Tigers in the first round in 2006, had a 2.02 ERA and 0.802 WHIP in 62.1 relief innings last season between the Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles. The Tigers even witnessed his dominance firsthand in October when Miller pitched 3.1 scoreless innings against them in the American League Division Series.

However, the Tigers seem to have zero interest in Miller. While the bullpen needs more help than just one arm, if Dombrowski truly is comfortable with his current guys, adding someone like Miller should make him ecstatic. This is a guy capable of pitching in any inning, including the ninth, and averaged 14.9 strikeouts per nine innings while pitching better than his ERA (1.51 FIP).

Those numbers could push Miller’s average annual value beyond $10 million. But even with that money, the Tigers have their infield, catcher and one of their outfield positions locked in, so splurging in the bullpen seems reasonable.

“I think he’s the perfect fit for the Tigers,” Sports Illustrated baseball writer Tom Verducci said on MLB Network on Monday.

Alas, the Tigers are likely to pass on Miller. If they find themselves in another bullpen mess come next July, they could be greatly regretting that decision.

Seeing reports that #Tigers are out on Andrew Miller. Can’t wait until they decide to trade prospects for him in July.

— Dan Hasty (@DanHasty34) November 25, 2014

The Tigers have this money, but how they will spend it seems to be a mystery. What is known is they are in a win-now mode and watching their window to contend for a World Series close as they rely on aging stars. So hoarding the money won’t do them any good, especially since they already chucked $68 million at Victor Martinez this offseason.

The Kansas City Royals are now a legitimate threat to the top of the division, and if the Tigers can’t find a way to effectively allocate the money they are saving on Scherzer, the Tigers could lose that crown for the first time in five years.

Anthony Witrado covers Major League Baseball for Bleacher Report. He spent the previous three seasons as the national baseball columnist at Sporting News, and four years before that as the Brewers beat writer for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Follow Anthony on Twitter @awitrado and talk baseball here.

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In the past, the Detroit Tigers have been ceaselessly ridiculed and lambasted for having awful defense and relief pitching. Despite this, the Tigers are quietly putting together a strong defensive unit.

Most of the criticism was based on the fact that Detroit played Miguel Cabrera at third and Prince Fielder at first. Now, even with Fielder gone and Cabrera at first (where he actually plays decent defense), criticism still pours in.

This criticism was ever-present at last season’s trade deadline when the team traded possibly its best defender, center fielder Austin Jackson, to acquire David Price. The Tigers didn’t have a team of Gold Glove winners, but Jackson was looked at as the best of the bunch. His presence was missed as Detroit fans were made privy to the center field adventures of Rajai Davis and Ezequiel Carrera.

That may sound like a children’s program, but it was a serious issue.

Davis is a corner outfielder by trade and thus had to adjust to playing center in Comerica Park, which can be treacherous to navigate for some center fielders. Carrera had the same—if not more—trouble defensively.

General manager Dave Dombrowski recently addressed the issue by adding talented and fleet-of-foot defensive center fielder Anthony Gose.

In addition to the center field fiasco, the team also had defensive issues at third base, right field and shortstop.

Statically, third baseman Nick Castellanos was (in layman’s terms) bad. Despite that, this happens to be an easy fix. As a 22-year-old rookie, the third baseman has time to develop.

He works closely with infield coach Omar Vizquel, one of the better fielders of all time. Last season was Castellanos’ first under Vizquel’s tutelage. He may never be considered the best defensive third baseman in the league, but give Castellanos more time with Vizquel and he’ll develop into a solid defensive presence.

Outside of third base, right field was a defensive problem area. J.D. Martinez put in a positive display during his limited time in right field. Despite Martinez being a bright spot, Torii Hunter didn’t play like a former Gold Glove winner. The former Twin struggled in the first half, then improved down the stretch. Dombrowski has said, per George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press, that Hunter won’t return to the Tigers. Hunter will be missed, but this gives Detroit the opportunity to greatly improve its outfield defense.

Playing J.D. Martinez in right field allows the team to play Davis in left field (his natural position). With Martinez’s breakout season validating his claim to the lion’s share of at-bats in right, the team can find a strong defensive outfielder to platoon with Davis in left. Players like Ichiro Suzuki and Nori Aoki would fit the bill.

Having an outfield foursome of Gose, Aoki, Davis and Martinez would give the Tigers two above-average defenders and two who are (at the very least) passable defensive options. This would provide a significant upgrade over last season’s outfield quartet of Davis, Martinez, Hunter and Carrera, who were, at best, two passable options defensively and two below-average defenders.

The last defensive problem area for Detroit was shortstop.

While Tigers shortstops combined for the most putouts in Major League Baseball, the group ranked sixth in errors. Among the players suiting up at shortstop in 2014 were Andrew Romine, Eugenio Suarez, Danny Worth, Alex Gonzalez and Hernan Perez. That grouping finished below the league average in nearly every defensive stat, with the exception of those pertaining to double plays (Detroit shortstops ranked fourth in the league in double plays turned).

Luckily for the Tigers, Jose Iglesias will be back in 2015 after missing last season due to injury.

Acquired in a three-team trade in 2013, per Chris Iott of MLive, Iglesias is the definition of a defensive wizard and should win multiple Gold Gloves in his future.

Detroit has all the makings of a solid, if not above-average, defense in 2015. The outfield should be vastly improved (thanks to Anthony Gose’s acquisition alone). Gose, along with the returning Jose Iglesias and an improving Nick Castellanos, should improve a defense that already features another solid defender (Miguel Cabrera) and two above-average defenders (Ian Kinsler and Alex Avila). The end product is a defense that will be much improved in 2015.

If the Tigers can fix the defense to a point where it’s above average (which it should be), then Detroit could finally lift the World Series trophy it should have already claimed.

All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

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With their most important bit of offseason business (re-signing Victor Martinez) wrapped up, the Detroit Tigers can now turn their attention to other needs. These needs used to include adding an outfielder, but Anthony Gose’s acquisition seems to have satisfied that. Re-signing the rehabbing Joel Hanrahan will help strengthen the bullpen, which was and still is another need, if the former Pittsburgh closer is healthy. Still, more bullpen additions can be expected.

If the team does sign free agents to fill the need, or goes after trade targets to achieve the same purpose, it wouldn’t come as a shock to anyone. But history tells us that the Tigers general manager makes transactions that shock just about anyone—generally making deals to acquire premium players at positions where an upgrade isn’t necessary. Past examples include signing Ivan Rodriguez and dealing for Miguel Cabrera and David Price.

After re-signing Victor Martinez and handing out arbitration raises to standout performers like Price and J.D. Martinez, the Tigers will have little wiggle room financially. This shouldn’t dissuade any thoughts of Detroit making a big move.

In December of 2009, Dombrowski sent Curtis Granderson and Edwin Jackson packing in a three-team trade with the Yankees and Diamondbacks to avoid giving them hefty raises and to alleviate pressure on the salary cap. The deal allowed the Tigers the room to sign lockdown closer Jose Valverde. The trade also brought Austin Jackson and Max Scherzer to Motown. The moral of the story is that Dave Dombrowski knows how to make impact moves on a tight budget.

Detroit’s general manager is already helped by the fact that the collective salaries of Torii Hunter, Don Kelly, Phil Coke and Joba Chamberlain have come off the books, thus giving him some wiggle room. While a percentage of that money was likely allocated to Victor Martinez and saved for arbitration rises, it still creates cash.

Dombrowski knows how to make his team younger, with the Granderson/Scherzer deal serving as a chief example. He has already acquired a young, controllable player with considerable upside in Gose and may not be done dealing.

Already, rumors are swirling about potential Tigers moves. The latest involves listening to trade offers for catcher Alex Avila. Dealing Avila would seem unconventional for a couple of reasons, one being the fact that Avila works well with Detroit’s starting pitchers. A second is that defensively the catcher grades out positively, while bringing power to the lineup as a left-handed hitter. Thirdly, the next catchers in line for the Tigers are backup Bryan Holaday and prospect James McCann.

Dealing Avila would mean that Detroit either has another deal lined up/in the works for a cheaper catcher they feel is an upgrade or that they feel McCann is ready to take the next step and start full-time.

Despite all the potential negatives, sending Avila to another team comes with benefits. The first would be wiping his salary from the books—Avila will make $5.4 million next season. The second would mean that the team could move on from a player who has been seriously affected by injuries.

Avila is still a starting catcher in the major leagues and certainly brings positive attributes to the table, but he isn’t what he once was. His finest hour came in 2011, when he posted an .895 OPS and drove in 82 runs. Injures soon ran rampant on Avila’s offensive production. Starting with the 2011 postseason, where he hit .063 against New York in and .080 against Texas.  The catcher has hit a combined .235 since 2011.

With surprise moves becoming the norm this offseason, (thanks to the Jason Heyward/Shelby Miller trade and the Mets signing of Michael Cuddyer), it wouldn’t be a shock to see the baseball landscape rocked by an unlikely Dombrowski trade. He’s turned potential salary cap burdens into, among others, a Cy Young winner (Max Scherzer) and a player used to acquire yet another player with a Cy Young on his resume (David Price).

It’s unknown if Alex Avila’s name will appear in the transactions logs due to a trade, but it wouldn’t be surprising. Neither would be a conceivable, cost-cutting trade of a player like Rajai Davis. The bottom line is that Dave Dombrowski and the Tigers front office know what they are doing, and with the offseason in full swing (pun!), the ball is in their court.

All stats courtesy of http://www.baseball-reference.com/ unless otherwise noted. 

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The Detroit Tigers have had a productive offseason to this point. Their biggest priority, Victor Martinez, was promptly inked for another four years, and signings/trades have also yielded Joakim Soria, Alex Avila, Anthony Gose, Joel Hanrahan and Josh Zeid.

Not bad for seven weeks’ work.

Assembling Detroit’s squad won’t stop there. Despite answering questions regarding designated hitter, catcher and, to a degree, center field, one glaring blemish still remains: the bullpen.

Speaking recently to Matt Dery on Detroit Sports 105.1 radio, Jon Morosi of Fox Sports believes it is essential that Detroit continues upgrading its relief stocks: “This (signing Hanrahan) can’t be the end of their bullpen spending. You cannot allow the bullpen to be your downfall for the third straight year.”

But with considerable cash already spent, what can we expect from team president/general manager Dave Dombrowski? His recent words suggest continued investment but of a more subtle nature, per Chris Iott of MLive: “I’m not saying we’re done, but sometimes they’re not the big splashy ones. They don’t have to be big dollars and big splashes.”

Detroit is particularly thin at left-handed relief. Andrew Miller is by far the best lefty available and arguably the best reliever overall on the market. Tigers fans would be tickled pink if their former first-round pick once again donned the home blue and whites; however, Dombrowski’s words seem to imply that Miller is not on the team’s radar.

There are still plenty of other fish in the sea that Detroit may wish to cast a line at if, indeed, Miller is beyond its ambitions.

We cannot forget that there are also internal options. Blaine Hardy was good last season until his performances dropped off late in the year. Ian Krol had an excellent start to the season (2.33 ERA in April-May), but he was awful after that. Kyle Ryan, whom manager Brad Ausmus turned to a few times out of the bullpen in September, is another alternative.

But if the Tigers do decide to look externally, these are the best candidates…

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The Detroit Tigers don’t have long to decide about the future of catcher Alex Avila:

Detroit would be wise to re-sign Avila for another season. A catcher’s first job is to play solid defense, and to say Avila was solid behind the dish in 2014 would be an understatement—he was outstanding.

In addition to handling Detroit’s pitching staff with aplomb, Avila was highly effective at neutralising the opposition’s running game. The 27-year-old gunned down 34 percent of would-be base stealers (second in MLB) this season.

Avila also made one of the best defensive plays of the year when he climbed the screen at Comerica Park to make a Spider-Man-style catch in September.

His excellent defensive play was recognised when he finished among the finalists for the 2014 American League Gold Glove—ultimately won by Kansas City’s Salvador Perez.

On the offensive side, Avila’s contributions have caused more than a few groans in Motown in recent times. This is especially true for fans who still see him through the prism of his breakout season three years ago. In 2011, Avila emerged as Detroit’s everyday catcher, with his offensive numbers (.295, 18 HR, 82 RBI) convincing many people that he would be the Tigers’ everyday backstop for the next decade.

As the table below shows, Avila has been unable to reproduce anywhere near that level since. In fact, since the initial big dip in 2012, his productivity has dropped a little more each year.

Avila is not the offensive player he was in 2011, and he may never be again. However, what his bat does provide for the team is by no means terrible. His ability to walk and provide occasional pop helped him post an OPS of .686 this season—not far below the AL mean (.706).

Also, that bit of pop has often been of a timely nature. According to Matthew B. Mowery of The Oakland Press, three of Avila’s 11 home runs this year gave Detroit the lead and each came in the eighth inning or later—two in extra innings.

His left-handed bat also provides a good balance to Detroit’s lineup. Of the Tigers’ nine everyday players in 2014, only Avila and switch-hitter Victor Martinez hit from the left side. Detroit cannot afford to lose a lefty, especially since prospect Steven Moya may not be ready to face big league pitching next season.

So, with all things considered, where does Avila’s productivity place him among his peers? Perhaps the sabermetricians can decide for us.

As wins above replacement (WAR) combines both offensive and defensive data, it is the most comprehensive sabermetric stat for evaluating players. Avila’s WAR (2.1) ranked 13th out of 23 MLB catchers (minimum 400 at bats) in 2014, according to FanGraphs.

It is fair to conclude from this information that Avila is an average MLB player. So why should an ambitious, big-spending club like the Tigers settle for mediocrity?

Because picking up Avila’s option is only a one-year commitment, and the team will need him more in 2015 than it will afterward.

James McCann is the heir apparent at catcher, and he should be ready to usurp Avila’s position soon. The 24-year-old made his MLB debut in 2014 and has impressed at all levels in the Tigers system. He is close but not ready yet for everyday duties.

The optimal scenario for next year would be these two playing a catcher platoon. That would enable McCann to ease his way into the Detroit lineup and prove himself at this level.

At $5.4 million, Avila is not an expensive 12-month option for Detroit. There is also a chance he could recapture his 2011 form. You never know.

Call him mediocre if you like, but bringing Avila back is a pragmatic decision for the Tigers. With a shortage of lefty hitters and no ready successors, he is their best choice for starting backstop next Opening Day.

Worries about his three concussions last season have also been put to bed after a recent interview with Chris Iott of MLive.

Of course, Dave Dombrowski, the Tigers’ president, CEO and general manager, may choose to scour the trade market in search a new catcher. That is never out of the question.

If not, Avila will do—and be just fine too.

Unless otherwise stated, all stats in this article are courtesy of ESPN.com.

Follow me on Twitter: @jdunc1979

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The Detroit Tigers’ 2014 season certainly had its ups and downs. During a roller coaster ride of a year, Detroit started the campaign with an offseason full of hope and promise. Then the roller coaster officially started.

The Tigers experienced more highs and lows than most. They went from a runaway division favorite to being in danger of missing the playoffs. In the end, thanks to some key performances and acquisitions, the team pulled out a fourth consecutive American League Central title.

Unfortunately, the success found in the division did not carry over to the playoffs as Detroit was swept by Baltimore in three games.

Here are some of those high and low points, or in other words, the most defining moments of the season.

All stats courtesy of http://www.baseball-reference.com/ unless otherwise noted.

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The Detroit Tigers made a statement when they acquired David Price from the Tampa Bay Rays at the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.

With a starting rotation that already featured a pair of Cy Young Award winners in Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander as well as Anibal Sanchez and Rick Porcello, adding Price gave the Tigers arguably the top staff in the American League—a unit built for the postseason.

“Simply put, Price makes the Tigers’ rotation the envy of the bulk of the baseball world,” wrote Grantland’s Jonah Keri in the wake of the trade. “While Detroit was going to make the postseason with or without Price, he’ll give them an undeniable edge in October.”

Naturally, one would think that being traded to a playoff contender, let alone a preseason favorite to win the World Series such as the Tigers, would come with a tremendous amount of pressure.

But for Price, a four-time All-Star and winner of the 2012 AL Cy Young Award, being expected to help his team reach the postseason is nothing new.

“I really haven’t felt any pressure with the Tigers,” Price told Bleacher Report. “The only thing that’s really changed is that I have new teammates and a new home crowd, but it’s still the same game I’ve played my entire life and I know I just need to go out there and have fun.”

However, while Price was strong down the stretch for the Tigers and helped them clinch the AL Central with a scoreless outing on the final day of the season, his journey to the postseason with his new club was anything but smooth.

And with an underwhelming postseason resume, it’s safe to say that the 29-year-old left-hander has plenty to prove this October.

Price performed as advertised in his first four starts with Detroit, as he picked up his third complete game of the season, pitched to a 2.35 ERA and held opposing hitters to a miserable .157/.202/.306 batting line. He worked at least eight innings in three of the four outings, striking out 32 batters in 30.2 innings.

Then came Price’s home start on Aug. 27 against the New York Yankees, when he allowed a career-worst eight runs on 12 hits and departed the game after only two innings.

The loss dropped the Tigers to 2.5 games behind the surging Kansas City Royals in the division and brought concerns about the team’s second-half struggles to a head.

Though the overall 3.59 ERA and 82 strikeouts in 77.2 innings appear solid at first glance, it was a very mixed bag of results in 11 Tigers starts for Price. He surrendered 22 runs over four poor starts, yet just nine in his other seven.

“Staying consistent is the biggest thing, just going out there every fifth day and giving the team a chance to win,” Price explained when asked about his late-season struggles.

“It’s something I haven’t done as well with the Tigers as I have in the past, but it’s a long process and my work is never done. I look for ways to get better every day and I know the results will come.”

And as a pitcher supported by Tampa Bay’s No. 27-ranked offense just two months ago, he’s simply enjoyed being part of his new team, on which he’s just one of numerous perennial All-Stars.

“You know, it’s kind of surreal being around these guys,” he said.

“Our team is stacked with superstars and really good veterans like Torii Hunter, Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez, who show the younger guys how to go about their business. To me, I think that’s been the coolest part.”

As for his Cy Young Award-winning rotation mates Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, the three of them already seem to be clicking. 

“We sit there during the game and discuss a bunch of different stuff. For example, Verlander and I were talking about how Scherzer started throwing a cutter last night. There’s always some type of pitching conversation taking place.”

Unfortunately, both hurlers failed to tell him their secrets for getting to the field, an external pressure the left-hander didn’t see coming.

“It’s a new city and I’m just trying to make sure I don’t get lost going to and from the field,” he said while laughing.

“I think the first five times I got lost even while using my GPS, but I’ve been getting more comfortable with my surroundings and it’s gotten better as time has gone on.”

But with a must-win ALDS Game 3 matchup with the Orioles on the horizon, Price now will have to answer questions about his prior struggles in the postseason. The Tigers’ season depends on it.

“Detroit’s drastic change of direction since landing Price has shifted its needs,” wrote Bleacher Report’s Anthony Witrado back in late August. “Now the Tigers are asking something historic of their newest marquee member, one they initially acquired to make a deep team even deeper instead of out of necessity.”

Price’s first taste of the postseason came as a rookie in 2008, when he emerged as a late-inning weapon out of the Rays bullpen and helped the team reach the World Series. He pitched to a 1.59 ERA over five outings spanning 5.2 innings.

But the left-hander’s last three trips to the postseason have been a different story.

Price has yet to record a victory in the postseason as a starter, as he notched both his win and save in 2008 in relief.

His October struggles also played a role in the Rays’ failure to beat Texas in back-to-back division series (2010-11), while his lone 2013 ALDS start in Game 2 against the Red Sox was by far the worst of his postseason career.

With Boston already leading the best-of-five series, 1-0, Price was shelled for seven runs on nine hits, including six extra-base hits with a pair of home runs by David Ortiz, over seven shaky innings. The Rays ultimately dropped the contest, 7-4, and were eliminated from the playoffs in four games.

Price acknowledged that his pitch execution, which he referred to as the “name of the game,” in his previous playoffs outings has been disappointing.

“Executing pitches was something I didn’t do in a couple starts,” he conceded. “But other than a few innings I still feel like I’ve thrown the ball well and haven’t worried about the results.”

Luckily, Price will have an opportunity to rewrite his own postseason narrative when he takes the mound for the Tigers in Game 3 of the ALDS against Baltimore on Sunday.

“My goal obviously is to pitch deep into the game, because the longer I stay in there, there’s a good chance we’re going to put up some runs and win a ballgame.”

David Price has become one of baseball’s more decorated pitchers since breaking into the major leagues back in 2008, but there’s still one thing missing from his mantle:

“I just want to win a World Series.”

Well it’s going to take a big reversal of October fortunes for the Tigers and from Price himself to help make that happen, as they now face elimination down 0-2 to the Baltimore Orioles.

That path to redemption starts Sunday, and the Tigers had better hope that Price is up for the challenge.

David Price spoke to Bleacher Report as part of the new Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare video game campaign. It will be available in stores on Nov. 4 for all gamers looking to get involved.

For those wondering about Price’s gaming style, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that he’s anything but a camper.

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Justin Verlander has struggled this year.  Actually, that’s a bit generous. 

Sugarcoating aside, he has been terrible.  His current 4.54 ERA is the second-highest of his career, and his strikeout total is at its lowest since 2006, his first full season in the big leagues.  His 1.40 WHIP is tied for the highest in his career, and he just hasn’t been the dominant ace he once was.

However, maybe that ace is starting to come back as the games become more important.  He pitched a gem two starts ago against the Royals, the Tigers’ biggest AL Central competitors, and outdueled White Sox ace Chris Sale on Wednesday.

In that start against Chicago, he was masterful.  He allowed seven hits, struck out six and did not walk a batter while pitching eight innings for only the second time all season.

Verlander’s recent performance is almost a carbon copy of last year’s.  He was not quite as bad in 2013 as he has been so far this year, but it seems that he is once again flipping a switch as October nears.

In last year’s postseason, Verlander took the team on his back, leading the Tigers past the Athletics with two stellar outings in the ALDS.  He started Games 2 and 5, and his two fantastic outings in those games brought back memories from his Cy Young-winning 2012 season. 

In Game 2, he struck out 11 in seven scoreless innings of work, but the Tigers couldn’t muster any offense and lost 1-0.  Then, with the season on the line in a winner-take-all Game 5, Verlander prolonged the season with 10 more strikeouts in eight scoreless innings, catapulting Detroit into the next round.

He turned in a similar effort in Game 3 of the ALCS, but the one run he gave up in eight innings was enough to get him the loss as the Tigers once again came out on the short side of a 1-0 game.

2014 has been eerily similar.  He started the season strong but ran into a wall in the second month of the season.  He pitched poorly in May, June and July, amassing ERAs of 5.54, 6.82 and 4.78, respectively.

He started pitching better in August, but then a debacle against the Pirates saw him pitch only one inning, give up five runs and then injure himself running to first after a sacrifice bunt.  That fluke injury forced him to miss some time, and it seemed like he and his team had both hit rock bottom.

Even after acquiring David Price from the Rays in a stunning trade minutes before the trade deadline, the Tigers were out of first place and in danger of missing the playoffs altogether.  The bullpen was so bad that some speculated about the Tigers inserting Verlander into the closer’s role for the postseason.

The Tigers decided to stick with Verlander in the rotation, and he has made good on that trust.  The Tigers are 6-1 in Verlander’s seven starts since returning to the rotation, and he has gotten the victory in five of those.

Detroit’s magic number is now three, meaning if a combination of Tigers wins and Royals losses reaches three, the Tigers clinch the division and avoid the treacherous one-off Wild Card Game.

If Verlander is right, which I think he is now, the Tigers are going to be scary over the course of a five- or seven-game playoff series.

An overpowering pitching rotation of Max Scherzer, David Price, Verlander and Rick Porcello will be very tough for any opponent, and the offense is pretty good as well.

Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez are two of the best hitters in the entire MLB, and the additions of Ian Kinsler and Rajai Davis give the lineup a dynamic it didn’t have last year.  For example, when Davis stole his 35th base of the season in Wednesday’s win against the White Sox, it matched the number of steals the Tigers stole as a team in 2013.

In last year’s playoff run that ended in the ALCS against the Red Sox, the offense did not have anything even resembling a running threat, forcing the Tigers to play base-to-base baseball, basically waiting for an extra-base hit or a string of hits to score runs.

Now, though, they have Davis, who has over 300 stolen bases in his career.  He has been one of the league’s most prolific base stealers over the past six years; he has averaged 42 steals over those years.  You can guarantee that if the Tigers are locked in a close game, Brad Ausmus will have the confidence to give Davis the green light to get into scoring position.

Back to pitching, the bullpen has been disastrous for most of the season.  The Tigers signed Joe Nathan in the offseason, but his ERA has been around five all year.  They acquired Joakim Soria at the deadline for some late-inning help, and Anibal Sanchez has returned from the disabled list as a reliever as well.

However, Verlander might be the X-factor.  Which one will show up: the terrific Verlander or the one with a 4.50 ERA?

If last year is any indication, Verlander will turn it on and be an ace.  If he can pitch at the same level he did in last year’s postseason, the Tigers have to be dark-horse candidates to advance all the way to the World Series.

The American League is loaded with the likes of the Angels, Orioles, and A’s, but with Verlander at his best, the Tigers have three Cy Young-caliber pitchers to go along with one of the best offenses in the league. 

It’s going to come down to Verlander, and if he is up to the task, watch out for the Detroit Tigers.

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When David Price takes the mound Tuesday against the Chicago White Sox, he’ll have a lot riding on his left arm, namely the postseason hopes of the Detroit Tigers, whose trade for the former Cy Young winner initially looked like a coup that would put the organization over the top down the stretch and in the playoffs.

But a funny thing happened on the way to October. Instead of soaring, the Tigers stumbled immediately, going 10-12 in the 22 games following the move.

That allowed the Kansas City Royals to climb from four games back in the AL Central to three up. Entering play Tuesday, Detroit (86-70) is just one game ahead of the Royals (85-71), who haven’t made it to the playoffs since 1985.

Just as unexpected, Price, who was acquired to be part of the World Series solution for a club that has advanced to two AL Championship Series sandwiched around their 2012 trip to the Fall Classic, wound up becoming part of the problem.

Price’s overall numbers with Detroit, including a 4.09 ERA and 1.22 WHIP, aren’t as good as they were with the Tampa Bay Rays. On top of that, the left-hander has been especially bad the past five times out.

Since Aug. 27, the 29-year-old has allowed 20 runs on a whopping 45 hits for a 5.81 ERA and 1.68 WHIP in 31.0 innings. Detroit has lost three of those games.

Among those outings was the unmitigated disaster against the New York Yankees, in which Price was treated like a pinata while permitting—count ’em—nine straight hits and registering nary a swing and miss during an eight-run third inning.

Price called it “probably the worst game I’ve ever had in my life,” according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.

And just last Wednesday, Sept. 17, Price caved again, surrendering five runs on eight hits and three walks over 5.2 frames against the lowly Minnesota Twins, only the last-place team in the Central. Not to mention, he lost the lead not once but twice in the game.

“I’m a better pitcher than this,” Price told Patrick Donnelly of MLB.com following that 8-4 loss.

Not exactly how this was supposed to play out when Detroit obtained Price at the July 31 trade deadline in a blockbuster three-team deal that sent left-hander Drew Smyly and infield prospect Willy Adames from the Tigers to the Tampa Bay Rays, center fielder Austin Jackson to the Seattle Mariners and infielder Nick Franklin to the Rays.

As if to make Price’s subpar performance so far sting even more, Smyly pitched wonderfully in seven starts for his new club, posting a 1.70 ERA and 0.76 WHIP before being shut down in early September with the Rays out of contention and looking toward 2015.

It seemed silly at the time of the trade and still does somewhat given Price’s pedigree and history, but it’s fair to at least raise the possibility that the Tigers might have been better off to now if they’d simply stuck with Smyly all along.

Quite possibly, with Smyly starting instead of Price, Detroit would have a larger lead on the Royals right now because the 25-year-old unquestionably has been better than Price since the swap, leading him in ERA, WHIP and Baseball Reference’s version of wins above replacement (WAR)—and not by small margins, either.

Then again, Price’s 2.68 fielding independent pitching (FIP) actually is better than Smyly‘s 3.07 within the same time frame. That speaks to the 2012 Cy Young winner’s poor luck with balls in play (.328 BABIP) and leaving runners stranded (67.7 left-on-base percentage).

All of which is to say that while Price’s performance has left something to be desired, he’s actually not pitching as poorly as some of the surface statistics indicate. He’s also under team control through the 2015 season, so the risk that comes with a two-month rental doesn’t apply.

Plus, Price does have postseason and big-game experience, having thrown 32 October innings across nine games (four starts) since 2008.

On one hand, Price’s 5.06 ERA in the playoffs doesn’t instill much confidence. On the other hand, well, there’s his win-or-go-home Game 163 gem last year:

As for Smyly? The third-year hurler has seven frames on his postseason resume but no starts. In all likelihood, he once again would have been relegated to the bullpen in the playoffs.

If the Tigers ultimately make it to October for the fourth straight season—and they still control their fate—then Price has a chance to wipe the slate clean and make up for his mediocre showing to date.

With a shutdown start or two in a big spot, Price would put all of his early struggles with the Tigers behind him.

And that’s a good possibility, considering this is a pitcher who not only has been among the best in baseball for a handful of seasons now but also has had his share of success in big spots.

“We’re hoping that with the importance of the next couple of starts that [Price] has, the adrenaline helps and he’s like he was earlier,” manager Brad Ausmus told Donnelly after Price’s latest disappointing turn against Minnesota last time out.

Of course, the flip side is Price pitches poorly yet again Tuesday, the Tigers fail to solidify a postseason spot even heading into the final day of the regular season—and you-know-who is lined up to start that game against the Twins in the middle of one of the worst stretches of his seven-year career.

That would be quite the scenario, and not at all the kind the Tigers thought they would have to get through when they landed Price.

Statistics are accurate through Sept. 22 and are courtesy of MLB.com, Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs, unless otherwise noted.

To talk baseball or fantasy baseball, check in with me on Twitter: @JayCat11

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