The Detroit Tigers are currently 2.5 games ahead of Cleveland in the American League Central Division but are desperately look to upgrade their pitching staff. In order to extend that lead and gear up for a potential playoff race the Tigers find themselves in an arms race like many do at this time of year.
Colorado's Ubaldo Jimenez is the biggest name potentially out on the open market, as the big 6'4" right-hander is just 27-year old and not far removed from his 19-8 season last year in which he struck out 214 batters with a 2.88 ERA. He would go to the All-Star game and finish third in the National League's Cy Young Award voting.
Jimenez has regressed a bit to 6-9 this year with a 4.20 ERA but has pitched better in the last two months. In July he has improved his strikeout rate to 11.03 K/9.
He certainly won't come cheap, but the Tigers believe they have the pieces to offer the Rockies in return. Per Danny Kobler of CBSSports any Detroit deal for Jimenez would have to involve either Jacob Turner or Rick Porcello in return.
Because of the steep price for Jimenez, Detroit may have turned their eyes recently to Seattle's Doug Fister. Fister, also 27, is on a cheap contract with the Mariners and while he is just 3-12 this year he does sport a respectable 3.33 ERA to go with a 1.17 WHIP. That all proves that a pitching record doesn't mean as much as many still believe.