Searching for Doyle Alexander: 5 Potential Arms for the Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers are in first place at the All-Star break.

Let that just sink in for a second. Now, do you feel better about their chances? Probably not.

This has been the most maddeningly bizarre season of Detroit Tigers baseball in quite some time. They have the best pitcher in baseball and arguably the best hitter. They have five All-Star players and a minor league system suddenly stocked with talent. The sky should be the limit, right?

The problem is there is a huge gulf between the players who are performing and those who are not. But even simpler than that, there is a huge gulf between where Justin Verlander is performing and where the rest of the starting pitching is at.

There are no simple fixes in baseball, but the one truism is: Good pitching beats good hitting. Therefore, at least one more arm is needed.

Looking beyond Verlander, Max Scherzer probably has the best stuff. He should be able to become a very good No. 2 starter. Rick Porcello, if his sinker is working, can be a good No. 3 guy. But this year, neither is likely to claim those spots. Instead, they need to be counted on as the No. 3 and No. 4 guys.

The Tigers need to go out and get a No. 2 starter.

By all accounts, it appears that could be in the making. Sure, they are not thrilled about unloading their top minor league players for a player who could be a rental, but look at the guys making the moves. They are managing for their lives here.

General manager Dave Dombrowski and skipper Jim Leyland are both working for their next contract, so all bets are off. They know they need a second half that is better than the first half. With their track record of falling apart in the second halves of seasons, they must be running scared.

Back in 1987, the Tigers were in a similar pickle. They needed a steadying arm for their rotation behind stud Jack Morris. They went out and picked up Doyle Alexander from Atlanta. He was a savior for the club, leading them into the playoffs.

On the flip side of that coin is the fact that the Tigers did not win the World Series and lost John Smoltz in the process.

But that isn't important right now because of who is making the decisions. Whether it is right or wrong, Dombrowski will be pulling out all the stops. You shouldn't be surprised if he pulls the trigger on a big deal and unloads a stud farm prospect or three.

Here are a few players who could be Motown-bound by the end of the month.

Aaron Harang, San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres are in the midst of a youth movement, as all of their pitchers except for one are under 30.

That one pitcher is 33-year-old Aaron Harang.

Harang is having a solid year with a 3.45 ERA and a 7-2 record. He doesn't have overpowering stuff, but he knows how to pitch and hit his spots.

What's more is that he is on a tear right now, with quality starts in each of his last six starts, including a masterful performance against the same Los Angeles Dodgers team that just torched Detroit.

Harang is likely to be a free agent next year, so he would likely be la half-year rental. But it shouldn't take a ton to get him, perhaps Charlie Furbush and maybe another borderline prospect.

Joel Pineiro, Los Angeles Angels

This appeared to be an off year for the Angels. The Texas Rangers seemed poised to return to glory this year and run away with a very weak AL West division. However, nobody told the Angels that.

They have been playing some very good baseball of late, winning eight of their last 10 games and four in a row. Therefore, it could be less likely that they will be willing to part with any of their pitchers.

However, Texas could easily rattle off five in a row and beat the Angels back, opening the door to a deal.

Joel Pineiro would be a good fit for Detroit. He has a slight frame, but he is capable of logging plenty of innings. Right now he is looking very good, winning three of his last five starts, including a great game against Detroit.

The Angels could be in the market for minor league catching as their roster is thin in that regard, and the Tigers are loaded at that position.

Matt Garza, Chicago Cubs

The Cubs appear to be perpetually lost. They have a huge payroll, yet they don't seem to know how to win. Lucky for them, a huge portion of their fan base could care less if they win or lose, as long as the party keeps going in Wrigley. (Seriously, Wrigley is a great place to see a game, but you get the feeling if you asked 10 Cubs fans to name the starting rotation, you would get 10 different answers and probably a Rick Sutcliffe and Mark Prior or two.)

True, they just picked up Matt Garza and dealing him would be odd. But again, it is the Cubs.

Garza hasn't exactly set the world on fire in Chicago, and no doubt he is beginning to press. He also is due at least salary arbitration next year and could be in for a big pay day.

If Detroit could pry him away from the Cubs, it might be worth some of their top talent like Andy Oliver and or Casey Crosby. Garza is still young enough (27) that he might fit into the long-term designs of Detroit.

Regardless, he is battle tested. He helped lead Tampa Bay on their improbable run three years ago, posting a sub-4 ERA during the postseason.

Garza would immediately boost Detroit into the upper tier of the American League in pitching and give the franchise a much-needed shot in the arm heading into the fall.

Erik Bedard, Seattle Mariners

I know, this isn't the Seattle pitcher you want. But it would take more than Detroit has in order to pry King Felix Hernandez away from the Mariners, so let's just put that fantasy to bed.

Erik Bedard is having a very good year, with an ERA sitting at three and solid strikeout numbers. In his last 10 starts, he has not allowed more than three runs in any of them and has allowed zero earned runs in four.

He also is a lefty and would help soften the blow of Phil Coke's demise as a starter.

The question with Bedard, as always, is his health. He has not been able to stay on the active roster for more than a few months at a time and currently is back on the disabled list.

However, he could be a low risk, high reward prospect for Detroit, especially if they could have him for some minor league position players and someone like Casper Wells.

Chris Capuano, NY Mets

The Mets truly are a mess. Their owner got swindled and they have been guilty of some truly atrocious salaries. In all honesty, it is going to take a ton to bring them back from mediocrity.

One of their good contracts is Chris Capuano. Capuano is only owed a base salary of about $1 million, but he has some incentives based on starts and innings pitched.

Regardless, he won't carry too much of a price tag. The Tigers should be able to get him for a position player or two or perhaps a middle-of-the-road minor league pitcher.

Capuano is your basic control pitcher. He can locate his fastball and curve fairly well and will eat up some innings. More importantly, he is a lefty who would fit well within Comerica Park.

Capuano's numbers are sizzling (4.12 ERA, 87 Ks), but they are pretty good when you consider his division (NL East) and the market he plays in.

A switch to Detroit could be just what Capuano needs to boost his numbers.