Despite a skid around the All-Star break, the Detroit Tigers remain contenders in the American League. With a record of 60-42 entering Wednesday’s series finale against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Tigers own a half-game lead over the Toronto Blue Jays and Houston Astros for the best record in the AL and as a result will be aggressive sellers ahead of the July 31 trade deadline.
But it’s not a question of whether the Tigers will be buying in the next eight days. It’s how much they’re willing to spend. Teams that are sliding out of contention will be looking to fleece the Tigers or any other team looking to load up for their pennant push and that’s especially true as Detroit looks to upgrade with a right-handed bat or a power reliever in the bullpen.
It leaves the Tigers to get sticker shock in many discussions including an attempt at poaching an divisional rival.
Eight days out from the trade deadline, a detailed look at where all 30 teams stand. Who’s all-in and all-out, who still hasn’t figured out their tack and what are the prices on the biggest names available. All that and more, free and unlocked at ESPN: https://t.co/PPIJpz57DV
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 23, 2025
Twins Reportedly Want Two Top-100 Prospects in Exchange for Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax
The Tigers were reportedly interested in acquiring relievers Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax to add a power arm to their bullpen. But it appears that there is a high asking price as ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports the Minnesota Twins are seeking “multiple top 100-caliber prospects” in return for either pitcher.
“Perhaps the ask on Duran and Jax deflates now and the deadline, but Minnesota is historically a team that sets a high bar on returns and doesn’t deviate,” Passan wrote. “For a team with championship aspirations, either of them would register as a monumental addition, so it’s not an entirely unreasonable position for the Twins to take.”
The Twins are fading out of the divisional and wild card races as they’ve lost four of their past six games including two of three games to the Colorado Rockies last weekend. But they also have precedence for demanding a haul for their top relievers.
The first is the trade that sent Tanner Scott to the San Diego Padres at last year’s trade deadline. In that deal, the Miami Marlins, who also sent reliever Bryan Hoeing to San Diego, received three top-five prospects in the Padres’ organization including current top 100 prospect LHP Robby Snelling. The Marlins also received RHP Adam Mazur, who was ranked as San Diego’s No. 4 prospect at the time of the trade, utilityman Graham Pauley (No. 5) and infielder Jay Beshears (no. 24).
While that price is high for a pair of relievers, the Twins are in a position to ask for an even bigger return. Both Duran and Jax have two years of team control before hitting free agency after the 2027 season and they may have a divisional tax as a team that hasn’t made a intradivision trade since acquiring Michael A. Taylor from the Kansas City Royals in January 2023.
With an uncertain ownership situation that could lift payroll restrictions if the team is sold, the Twins don’t want to be in a situation where they have sellers regret knowing they could have kept one or both of their top bullpen arms.
These are the kind of obstacles the Tigers will have to face at the deadline. While a pending free agent like Eugenio Suárez might be easier to acquire, Detroit wants to make sure its competitive window is open beyond this season. But with the team established as a top contender in a wide-open pennant race, it may be the price of poker to get a blockbuster done.