Are the Tigers the best team in baseball right now? Yes, one of them, but that doesn't mean that even they couldn't benefit from a trade deadline boost at the end of the month.
And aside from Tarik Skubal's potential Cy Young Award-repeating performance from this year, the Detroit pitching staff hasn't been the best, and numerous injuries to the arms haven't helped their cause either.
However, there is a potential solution to their issue, and it even lies within their own division.
Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Seth Lugo.
Lugo had a miraculous 2024 season which saw him finish second to Skubal after posting a 16-9 record, an ERA of 3.00, and 181 strikeouts.
The 2025 season so far, Lugo's 10th in the major leagues, hasn't exactly seen a carbon copy of his elite performance last year, but the righty is currently sitting with a 2.74 ERA, lower than he produced last year.
The Royals are slowly drifting away from the playoff race, losing eight of their last 10 contests and sitting fourth in the AL Central at 40-47, a lengthy 14 games back from the leading Tigers, and these ill results could see the Royals begin a rebuild, which could include players like Lugo and even fellow starter Cole Ragans looking for new teams, despite Ragans currently sitting on the injured list.
Lugo may not be the flame thrower that Skubal is, but his Greg Maddux-like finesse would be a perfect balance in the team's starting rotation as Detroit looks to keep the 12.5 game lead they currently possess over the rest of the American League Central.