Tigers Need Offense and Bullpen Help

Detroit Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski told Jason Beck of MLB.com, that "scoring runs is a concern," however; he added that he doesn't feel any additional sense of urgency to add a bat.

"If we're gonna win, it's gonna be with pitching and fielding and better timely hitting. And some of that has to come from inside, from the team we have now. I'm not gonna mention names, but if some guys don't drive in runs, you're not gonna win."

Doesn't sound like Domrowski is all too happy with his current players at the moment, and rightfully so. The Tigers were just swept this weekend at Yankee Stadium, and the team only scored five runs during the entire series. The Tigers offense has certainly been somewhat of a disappointment this year, falling well short of expectations. The Tigers rank eleventh in the A.L in OPS (.748), and ninth in the A.L in slugging percentage (.420). They're currently the only division leader not ranked in the top five of either category.

Unfortunately, for the Tigers the market is pretty bare with impact hitters. Some names they might be interested in are the Orioles Luke Scott and Aubrey Huff, and possibly the A's Matt Holliday.

It's unlikely though that the Tigers have the necessary pieces to go out and acquire any of these hitters. Their farm system is not all to deep, and beyond Rick Porcello the Tigers don't have a whole lot to offer. They might be able to get someone excited about Ryan Perry or Brett Jacobson, both of whom are power arms likely slotted for the bullpen in the future, but that might be a reach.

Also don't expect offense to be the only area Dombrowski looks to address. Following the injury to Joel Zumaya it's expected that the Tigers will look around for some bullpen help as well. They could look at the Orioles George Sherrill or the A's Michael Wuertz.