Earlier this week, Tigers right fielder Magglio Ordonez suffered a broken ankle, with a lengthy timetable of 6-8 weeks projected for recovery.The veteran slugger sported a slash line of .303/.378/.474, so it's a big blow to the Detroit offense.
With the Tigers joining Minnesota in a race to catch the division-leading White Sox, and two other everyday position players on the DL in Carlos Guillen and Brandon Inge, GM Dave Dombrowski needs some help and he needs it fast.
Enter Jose Guillen.
Since the Royals are out of contention, I'm not too concerned about them trading within the division, particularly for a player who's entering free agency. Guillen could be appealing for Dombrowski because he's a short-term rental, and with Guillen having spent his most recent time in the AL Central, he should have a good feel for the tendencies of the division's pitchers.
According to MLB Trade Rumors, Dombrowski isn't willing to give up top prospects in a trade, but most Royals fans would be content with a low-level prospect or bucket of gum as a return for the pricy right fielder. Perhaps more importantly to the future of the Royals, a Guillen trade would open up an opportunity for Kila Ka'aihue to join the Royals and get everyday reps as a DH.
Guillen is owed about $4 million over the rest of the season. The Tigers' payroll ranks sixth in baseball, but a deal would still likely require Dayton Moore to kick in some cash.