MLB Rumors: Detroit Tigers Must Make Move for Starting Pitching

One of the question marks for the Detroit Tigers headed into the 2012 baseball season was how the back of their rotation would fare.

Twenty-two games into the season, the Tigers are a mediocre 11-11, and their starters' ERA is ranked 24th in the majors. Those questions have turned into legitimate concern.

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported on Monday:

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Rival executives already anticipate that the Tigers will make a strong push for starting pitching at the July 31 non-waiver deadline, if not before.

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The Tigers basically have Justin Verlander and then everyone else right now. While the reigning American League MVP is sporting a 2.41 ERA, Max Scherzer, Rick Porcello and some guy named Adam Wilk have been tanking.

The injury to Doug Fister has certainly hurt the Tigers, but, the reality is, they had a weak overall starting rotation even before he was sent to the disabled list.

There may be some interesting options for the Tigers before the July 31 trade deadline. Such names as Wandy Rodriguez and Jake Peavy have been tossed around. The Tigers would be wise to go after a pitcher who can make a big impact.

The Tigers have scored the seventh-most runs in the American League thus far. New signing Prince Fielder has performed as advertised, hitting .309 and proving to be clutch. He's hit .261 with no men on, .371 with men on base and .462 with men in scoring position. As expected, the offense hasn't been the Tigers' weak point.

The Tigers received a lot of attention after inking Fielder, but the fact of the matter is, that signing won't mean anything if they can't improve their starting pitching. Expect them to go after a big name on the trade market. They won't go very far this season without one.

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