Kuzul

Last offseason, the Detroit Tigers traded away Doug Fister. This time around, Rick Porcello could be the one to go.

According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, Porcello is drawing trade interest from around the league.

After all, we have heard that Porcello has been linked to the Marlins—per Jon Morosi of Fox Sports—while Jayson Stark of ESPN.com points out that Boston would be a fit.  

So, why deal a pitcher in Porcello who just won 15 games and posted a 3.43 ERA in what was widely regarded as a breakout season?

Answer: for salary purposes.

Even before re-signing Victor Martinez, Detroit had a lot—and I mean a lot—of salary tied up going forward.

MLBTradeRumors.com has a fantastic chart that shows future salary obligations. Even before Martinez’s new contract, Detroit had more long-term money tied up than the Yankees. Yes, the same Yankees that seemingly don’t understand the word “overpay.”

Silly, absurd, exorbitant (maybe even necessary)—any of these terms would be acceptable in describing the salary situation.  

But back to Porcello. The only way Detroit will deal him is to save cash.

The former first-round pick will hit free agency after the coming season, and should he continue to pitch like he did in 2014, he could command upward of $100 million on his next contract. Throw in an arbitration raise this season, and you’re talking about a supersized wad of cash.

Should the Tigers’ general manager Dave Dombrowski decide to trade Porcello before his price tag becomes too expensive, he’ll need to receive the maximum in return.

Dombrowski has played this game before—in 2009 he dealt Curtis Granderson and Edwin Jackson to New York and Arizona, respectively, to avoid giving either a massive payday.

Granderson and Jackson would later be paid in full, but Dombrowski was able to turn the pair into Max Scherzer, Austin Jackson and Phil Coke.

Dombrowski attempted the same feat last offseason by dealing Doug Fister to the Washington Nationals for Robbie Ray, Ian Krol and Steve Lombardozzi.

The team saved some cash on Fister, but it is left with only Krol after Ray and Lombardozzi were dealt in separate trades. Ray brought back starter Shane Greene, while Lombardozzi was traded for the since-departed Alex Gonzalez.

Ideally, trading Porcello would bring Detroit a return similar to the one received for Granderson and Jackson, but Dombrowski must be cautious and not repeat the Fister fiasco.

Fister has developed into one of the top 20 pitchers in the league, while the Tigers were left with scratch-off lottery tickets.

If Porcello continues on that trajectory (which is perfectly plausible given his performances last season), Dombrowski would need to receive the best possible return. Detroit is in win-now mode and can’t afford another setback similar to Fister.  

In would-be trade talks, Porcello should be marketed as a potential ace, or at the very least a high-end No. 2. The better the perceived value, the better the return. After all, Dombrowski did acquire a Cy Young winner for Edwin Jackson.

Detroit’s general manager should look to emulate his counterpart in Boston. At the 2014 trade deadline, Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington flipped John Lackey and a minor leaguer to the Cardinals for Allen Craig and Joe Kelly.

There are two things of note with the Lackey trade. The first is that Craig and Kelly were established big leaguers with successful track records. Craig made the All-Star team in 2013, while Kelly was an integral part of a deep St. Louis rotation. The second is that Lackey was 35 at the time of the trade.

Sure, Craig and Kelly were in the midst of down years, but Boston acquired a middle-of-the-order bat and a potential No. 2 or 3 starter for a 35-year-old.

Yes, you read that correctly: a 35-year-old.

Did I mention Craig can play right field as well as first base?

You may be thinking to yourself, why do I care how old Lackey is? Well, his age matters because he’s considerably older than Porcello.

Not only is the former Angel a decade older than Porcello, but the argument can be made that Porcello is the better pitcher at this point in time.

It poses this question: If a 35-year-old and declining John Lackey can net two players who were part of St. Louis’ nucleus and are now part of Boston’s, how much can Rick Porcello bring in return?

Miami Marlins

With Miami reportedly interested and Boston a trade fit, the Tigers brass should be asking this terribly long (and unlikely to be similarly worded) question.

Both teams certainly have enviable assets that would tempt Detroit.

Miami is in win-now mode. The Fish gave Giancarlo Stanton enough money to fix a small country’s economy and shipped two prospects to Kansas City for former All-Star reliever Aaron Crow. Ergo, they may be willing to part with some of their talented youngsters if it means winning sooner and avoiding the wait game.

One appealing trade target for Detroit would be center fielder Marcell Ozuna.

Ozuna swatted 23 home runs in 2014 and drove in 85 runs—both exceptional numbers for a center fielder. The Marlins would be without a center field, but given their seemingly aggressive nature on the market, they could find a replacement elsewhere.

Detroit could use Ozuna in a three-man rotation with Anthony Gose and Rajai Davis to cover center and right field. The Marlins center fielder mashed right-handed hitters last season with a .275 batting average. In addition, 45 of his 54 extra-base hits came against righties.

Given Crow’s acquisition and Detroit’s chronic bullpen woes, one of Miami’s many excellent relievers could be part of the return. However, a starting pitcher would be the likely target. Nathan Eovaldi or Jarred Cosart could thrive with the Tigers.

Both are young, relatively affordable for the foreseeable future and happen to possess power fastballs—something that’s more often than not part of the job requirement in Detroit.

Anibal Sanchez flourished in Detroit after coming over from Miami in 2012. Maybe one of these two is the next Marlin to flourish in Motown.

Acquiring Ozuna and Eovaldi/Cosart certainly would be a worthy trade for Detroit, helping the squad win now and later. Losing two of those players would be tough for Miami, but the other side of the coin is that the Fish would be able to pair Porcello with Jose Fernandez and form one of the top one-two combinations in the league.

Boston Red Sox

While Miami has assets across the board, so to speak, Boston’s best trade chips all play the same position—the outfield.

One of the Internet’s finest writers published a wonderful slideshow looking at which Red Sox outfielder is the best trade fit for the Tigers. (It’s not me…really, I swear it’s not my writing…OK fine, it’s me.)

While Yoenis Cespedes has been widely tabbed as a player who’ll be traded this offseason, he wouldn’t be the best fit in Detroit.

Cespedes is essentially a two-trick pony. He has a cannon of an arm and can hit a baseball 500 feet. Other than those two strengths, his game is lacking. Cannon arm or not, he isn’t spectacular defensively. In addition, his on-base percentage during the last two years is below .300 (.298), which is concerning at best.

Instead of Cespedes, Detroit would be better off with Rusney Castillo or Mookie Betts. Both possess better all-around games than Cespedes and are considerably younger—Castillo is 27 and Betts is 22.

Corner outfielder, righty-masher and platoon expert extraordinaire Daniel Nava wouldn’t be a bad throw-in, either.

In addition to a bevy of talented young hitters, Miami has the young pitchers to match with hurlers like Cosart and Eovaldi. Boston is a different story. The Red Sox’s young and talented starting pitchers (Anthony Ranaudo and Allen Webster) have a combined 25 major league starts.

At 26, Kelly (whom you’ll remember from a certain John Lackey trade) may be the best option for the Tigers in any Porcello trade. Kelly played a key role in St. Louis, posting a sparkling 3.08 ERA in 61 appearances and 231 innings.  

In Conclusion

It’s no surprise that Porcello is a coveted player on the trade market. The former first-round pick finally seems to be cashing in on his potential.

Porcello is cashing in on his potential metaphorically, but he could literally cash in on it when he hits free agency next offseason. This likely occurrence will be expensive for Porcello’s employers. Very expensive.

Detroit could cut bait on Porcello, similar to how it offloaded Fister. If this happens, the team’s brass must ask for everything in return, so to speak.

Porcello is a legitimate front-line starter and must be valued as such. “Fister Fiasco 2.0” can’t happen, not for a Tigers team in win-now mode. Miami and Boston are two destinations. While both have exciting players, Miami may be the better option thanks to the Fish’s superior pitching.

The bottom line is that if Porcello is dealt, Dombrowski and the Tigers can’t accept anything less than a king’s ransom.

All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

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The Detroit Tigers are once again championship contenders in 2014. At 55-41 and 6.5 games clear of their nearest division rival, they are poised to make another run at an elusive World Series title. Key to their success so far has been the breakout season of starting pitcher Rick Porcello. The tall right-hander has been an integral part of the team’s success at a time when it really needed him to raise his game.

The offseason exit of Doug Fister via trade caused much consternation in Detroit. Fister had an excellent two-and-half-year stint as a Tiger, winning 45 games (including postseason). With big shoes to fill, literally and figuratively, Porcello was the man counted on to pick up the slack left by his former teammate.

Detroit’s starting rotation has been one of its main strengths in recent years. Despite Fister’s aforementioned departure and the struggles of Justin Verlander (career-worst 4.84 ERA), Porcello has helped to maintain its high quality through the season’s first four months. Tigers starters have combined for 44 wins (first in AL) and also rank in the top five in ERA, WHIP and batting average against.

Porcello’s performances so far this season have been his finest as an MLB player. His 12 wins are equal highest in the majors and only one shy of his career high for a full season. Also, his ERA (3.39), WHIP (1.18) and batting average against (.253) are all career-best marks.

At times, Porcello has completely dominated opposing lineups. The New Jersey native notched six-straight wins during April-May, followed by a 25.1-inning scoreless streak in June-July. His latter feat included back-to-back complete-game shutouts, one of which came against the AL’s second-best offense—Oakland.

With 119.1 innings already logged, Porcello is on target to pass 200 IP in a season for the first time in his career. His ability to go deeper into ballgames has also left Detroit’s shaky bullpen (ERA 4.36) less exposed and provided it with some much-needed rest.

Reflecting on Porcello’s career year beckons the question: How has he jumped from mediocre MLB pitcher to very good MLB pitcher in 2014?

One thing is for certain, it is not through striking hitters out. Unlike some of his Tigers brethren (e.g. Max Scherzer), Porcello does not possess the arm to collect punch-outs en masse. With a heater averaging 92 mph, the righty needs to retire opposing hitters through other methods. Inducing ground-ball outs via his sinker has been his modus operandi so far in his career. Porcello’s dependency on this pitch is highlighted by his Percentage Pitch Usage stats from his rookie year (courtesy of Brooks Baseball). They reveal that he threw sinkers 60.01 percent of the time during that season.

However, the 2014 version of Porcello is far less reliant on his sinker. He still benefits from balls hit on the ground—19 double plays (second in AL) and a 48.2 ground-ball percentage attest to that—but he has improved his secondary pitches, enabling him to use them more often to record outs.

One particularly noticeable difference has been the increased use of his curveball. He now throws it roughly five times more often than he did back in 2010-2011.

According to Brooks Baseball, his curve is getting more horizontal movement (7.34 inches) than at any other time in his career. His hook is proving to be effective too as opponents have hit only .203 off it in 2014.

His changeup has been even more impressive. Opponents are hitting only .178, which is a 53-point decrease on last year. According to Fangraphs, his changeup RAR (Runs Saved Against Replacement) of 8.0 (third in AL) also demonstrates its effectiveness.

The sinker remains Porcello’s bread-and-butter pitch. And with the improvement of his complement pitches, it may now be even more effective. According to manager Brad Ausmus, per WXYZ Radio (subscription required), Porcello is at his best when he locates his sinker in the bottom half of the strike zone:

When Rick is getting groundball outs he’s doing the one thing right that he has to do—he’s keeping the sinker down in the strike zone. When the sinker’s down it’s got more depth to it, more movement and guys just get on top of the ball and it ends up on the ground.

After struggling against left-handed batters throughout his career, Porcello’s improvements have also helped him have more success against them this year. With lefties currently hitting only .240, this is the first year since his rookie season that he has held them to under a .300 clip.  

Porcello’s enhanced game shows how he has matured as a pitcher this year. Owning three above-average pitches demonstrates his evolution from a sinkerball pitcher into a pitcher possessing a sinkerball—and a good one at that. His morphing into a more complete pitcher may yet catapult him to a 20-win season and postseason success for Detroit.

Although the 25-year-old has not started a playoff game since 2011, his performances this year will leave Brad Ausmus with no choice but to install him into the postseason rotation. Any questions about whether he can perform against elite teams have already been answered. Against Detroit’s likely opponents in October—Oakland, Anaheim and Baltimore—Porcello is 5-0 with a 1.31 ERA in five starts this season.

With Detroit failing to convert its postseason opportunities the past three years, it is still desperately seeking the right formula to go all the way. With Porcello now pitching at a higher level, it may be one step closer to breaking its three-decade drought.

Unless otherwise stated, stats in this article are courtesy of mlb.com

Please follow me on Twitter: @jdunc1979

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According to MLB.com’s Jason Beck on March 26, pitcher Rick Porcello won the Detroit Tigers‘ competition for the No. 5 spot in the rotation.

Porcello has made #Tigers rotation. Smyly to bullpen.

— Jason Beck (@beckjason) March 26, 2013

Porcello, who has pitched terrifically in spring training, was the subject of speculation throughout the offseason and training camp regarding being traded.

Porcello was recently linked to the Texas Rangers by Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi.

That Porcello “won” the No. 5 spot in the Tigers’ rotation over Drew Smyly shouldn’t be the surprise—it’s that Porcello is still on the team.

Porcello, who has a 3.00 earned run average (ERA) in spring training in 24 innings pitched, had no walks and 21 strikeouts. The 24-year-old exhibited great command of his breaking ball, which has sometimes eluded him over his major league career.

Still, Porcello has 48 career wins in four major league seasons and looks to finally be realizing his full potential.

Smyly, who still made the Tigers by pitching out of the bullpen, is a favorite of the Tigers’ coaching staff and front office.

Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski spoke with Sirius XM’s Jim Duquette on Jan. 16 about Porcello and Smyly (h/t MLive.com) and the pitching competition between the two:

You’ve got two guys who we think can both start.

I’d think you’d have to say Porcello has a leg up because he’s got more experience at that point, but Smyly did such a good job for us last year and you ideally want a left-hander in your rotation.

Smyly had a very good spring as well, ending up with a 3.38 ERA in 21.1 innings and appears to have a future with the Tigers.

Don’t expect the Tigers’ front office to hold on to Porcello if they get a trade offer that meets their asking price. Porcello has raised his stock around the major league with his great performance and several teams will still be interested in him.

Porcello‘s trade value will continue to rise if he continues to pitch well. The Tigers are handling the Porcello-Smyly situation as best as they can. Teams can never have enough pitching and the Tigers currently have an excess of riches with their starting pitching.

If Porcello is traded, expect a huge return that will greatly benefit the Tigers into the future. If they don’t trade him, then they have a pitcher who will only keep getting better.

At this point though, my prediction is that Porcello will not remain with the Tigers past the July trade deadline, as they push toward trying to win the World Series.

*All statistics are as of March 25

**All statistics are from baseball-reference.com

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After being offered to anyone that wanted to pay the right price this offseason, Rick Porcello has won the fifth spot in the Detroit Tigers‘ starting rotation over left-hander Drew Smyly.

Matthew Mowrey from The Oakland Press tells us more:

#Tigers announce Porcello will be the 5th starter, Smyly will be in the bullpen; Matt Tuiasosopo has made team, barring something unforeseen

— Matthew B. Mowery (@matthewbmowery) March 26, 2013

In six starts this spring, Porcello went 4-1 with an ERA of 3.00. In 24 innings, he struck out 24 while not walking a batter.

Porcello knew he had to impress in order to stay with the Tigers and delivered in spades.

Smyly also pitched very well and has earned himself a spot in the bullpen, presumably in the role of long reliever.

In six starts, Smyly went 4-0 with an ERA of 3.38, posting a better spring ERA than Doug Fister and Justin Verlander.

The move to keep both pitchers on the main club still gives the Tigers some trade options if whatever they end up settling on for the closer’s role does not pan out.

As the only left-handed starter on the roster, Smyly could also get the occasional spot start to cool down an excessively left-handed hitting lineup.

The other news Tuesday is that infielder Matt Tuaisosopo has been told he has earned a spot on the team.

The non-roster invitee is hitting .327 with four home runs and 10 RBI. 

The Tigers are expected to bring 13 position players up north when the season starts Monday in Minneapolis as the Tigers face the Minnesota Twins.

Brayan Pena and Quintin Berry are expected to grab two bench spots with Ramon Santiago, Danny Worth and Don Kelly fighting for that last spot.

Spring statistics are as of Monday, March 25 and via Baseball-Reference.com. 

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One of the big question marks for the Detroit Tigers heading in to the 2013 season is exactly what role Rick Porcello will have with the team—if he is even still with the Tigers when the season starts.

The Tigers have tried the entire offseason to unload the 24-year-old pitcher, but have yet to hear an offer they are willing to take.

Entering his fifth season in Detroit, Porcello has started at least 27 games in each of his first four seasons. After reportedly settling with the club for $5.1 million and avoiding arbitration, that is not bad money for someone who figures to be their No. 5 starter.

Ideally, the Tigers would like to get either a better defensive option at shortstop or a viable closer.

Before the winter meetings, it had been speculated that Detroit would ship Porcello to the Pittsburgh Pirates for closer Joel Hanrahan. That deal never happened and Pittsburgh eventually dealt Hanrahan to the Boston Red Sox.

Other teams that have shown interest include the Arizona Diamondbacks (via Nick Piecoro) and the San Diego Padres (via Bill Center), but both seemed to back off rather quickly when hearing what the Tigers would like in return.

Porcello’s biggest problem is he really does not fool that many hitters.

In 176.1 innings last year, Porcello gave up a league-high 226 hits. He also does not strike out many batters, fanning just 107 last year—which was a career high.

Another worry that teams might have is that Porcello has 691.2 innings on his arm. For a pitcher who has yet to hit the prime of his career, that is an awful lot of mileage in a short period of time.

The other big concern is that his hits per nine innings ratio has gone up every season since entering the league. 

When he finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting in 2009, he averaged just 9.3 hits per nine innings. After two seasons of seeing that number rise to 10.4, it rose last year to a high of 11.5.

Those are numbers for a pitcher whose career is headed in the wrong direction.

For someone who was so obviously shopped around and is still under team salary control until the 2015 season, it seems like the Tigers have overestimated the market for Porcello.

So is having Porcello around a bad thing? The short answer is no.

As good as the Tigers’ starting pitching is on paper, a team can never have enough depth to fill holes when injuries come about.

Likely fighting with Drew Smyly for that fifth spot in the rotation in spring training, Porcello could easily become an innings-eater out of the pen to start the season or take the spot in the back end if one of the other five starters misses any time.

Another scenario for the Detroit is to see what the situation is at the July trade deadline. Teams could be willing to overpay for Porcello for a chance at a playoff spot if they are desperate enough.

The fact that the Tigers and Porcello settled before his arbitration hearing says that Detroit is more than willing to hold on to him for the time being.

While it is doubtful that the Tigers will sign him to a deal that would go into his free agency years at this point, a strong 2013 performance could make Porcello that much more expensive or a lot more valuable on the trade market.

Follow Ron on Twitter @ronjuckett

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Could a player such as Alfonso Soriano or Rick Porcello be dealt before the start of spring training?

That seems to be the question of the hour as teams gear up for the start of the spring season.

The 2013 MLB preseason schedule kicks off in earnest next month when teams report to their respective spring training homes in Florida and Arizona. Players such as Soriano and Porcello could be moved before the opening of camps.

Here are four players who could be dealt before the start of spring training.  

Begin Slideshow

Over the past few weeks, Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Rick Porcello has become one of the two hottest trade candidates in MLB (the other being Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Justin Upton). It appears that half of major league baseball is interested in him and rightfully so.

As I have stated many times before, the Tigers would be making a huge mistake trading a 24-year-old starting pitcher who hasn’t even hit his prime. Porcello could fill most team’s No. 4 or No. 5 pitching slot now with a chance to develop into a No. 2 pitcher if he can improve his secondary pitches, especially his slider.

Jon Paul Morosi from Fox Sports reported that the Baltimore Orioles wouldn’t trade Tigers trade target, shortstop J.J. Hardy, but they would consider trading their closer Jim Johnson.

The Baltimore Orioles aren’t interested in trading shortstop J.J. Hardy to Detroit for starter Rick Porcello.

They may be more willing to trade closer Jim Johnson.

Morosi goes on to detail all the reasons why the trade would work for Baltimore: strong infield defense, Porcello would be under team control longer, and cheap closer options on the free agent market.

All the reasons why it works for Baltimore are why this trade would be horrible from the Tigers point of view.

Sure Johnson, 29, had a good season last year collecting 51 saves to lead MLB but he only had 41 strikeouts and a 2.73 K/BB ratio. It is troubling that Johnson’s K/BB ratio has decreased over the past few years, which would put added stress on the Tigers defense since he’s not a strikeout pitcher.

Johnson could rely on the Orioles defense but may not be so lucky in Detroit.

I believe that a starting pitcher is a lot more valuable than a closer, and chances are Johnson won’t have the same success he had in 2012. With low-risk options like Brian Wilson on the market, I don’t know why the Tigers would trade Porcello for a closer who could have equal to lesser success. There are only a few reliable closers who are successful year after year that I would consider trading for, and Johnson is not in that category.

In my eyes, I see Jim Johnson as last year’s Jose Valverde. Great success the year before but not as lucky the following year. If the Tigers had traded Valverde before the 2012 season there would have been several teams interested in him, but this offseason he’s still looking for a team.

Also troubling to me is that in five games in the playoffs against the New York Yankees, Johnson had one loss, a blown save and a 8.44 ERA.  For a team like the Tigers that have World Series aspirations, this could make for a disaster in a repeat of last year’s closer by committee in the playoffs.

I’m coming to terms with the fact that Porcello will more than likely be traded before the season begins. But it would be an even bigger mistake if the Tigers trade him for only a closer who hasn’t proven to be elite.

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A report surfaced this morning out of Baltimore saying that the Detroit Tigers, Chicago Cubs and Baltimore Orioles had discussions on a possible three-way trade with pitcher Rick Porcello and shortstop J.J. Hardy being part of the deal.

Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reported:

“I heard last night that the Tigers and Cubs are discussing a potential trade involving pitcher Rick Porcello, who also interests the Orioles. Now here’s the rumored kicker: The Tigers are trying to get the Orioles involved because they want shortstop J.J. Hardy, and they don’t feel as though the Cubs have the necessary components to make it a two-team trade.”

This makes sense from a Cubs standpoint since they lost out on their main target—pitcher Anibal Sanchez—earlier this offseason when he elected to re-sign with the Tigers. The Cubs then went out and signed Edwin Jackson to a four-year deal.

While Jackson is considered a solid pitcher and a workhorse, Porcello is younger at 24-years-old and he has the potential to develop into a top two or three pitcher in a rotation. No one knows what the Cubs would be giving up, but their role in this trade is perplexing.
Kubatko also says he can’t see the Orioles trading Hardy unless they get a great offer:

“I still don’t think the Orioles are willing to part with Hardy unless they’re absolutely overwhelmed by an offer. They love the left side of their infield. They’re not looking to shift Manny Machadoto shortstop in 2013. Also, since the Orioles have discussed Porcello, why would they need the Cubs to get involved? Just deal directly.”

Jon Morosi from Fox Sports also mentioned the Orioles’ interest in December:

Sources: #Tigers have spoken with multiple teams about Rick Porcello. #Orioles and #Mariners among those involved. @mlbonfox

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 20, 2012

All of this suggests that the Tigers and Orioles each have a known need so why are the Cubs involved? It could part of a bigger deal that would include pitcher Matt Garza or outfielder Alfonso Soriano. If Soriano was involved then the Cubs would need to eat the majority of his $13 million salary this season.

From a Tigers perspective, Hardy would be an upgrade over Jhonny Peralta. Hardy, who is signed through the 2014 season, is great defensively and can also provide decent power. His strikeouts are on the high side but the Tigers would be able to live with it since he more than likely will be able to hit above .275.

On another note, the Tigers trading Porcello is a big mistake. He can still mature and find a reliable third pitch, and young starting pitchers capable of delivering 10-14 wins per season are tough to find. That being said, the Tigers are in win-now mode and acquiring Hardy would make them a better team.

Who knows if anything will come of these talks, but January just got a lot more interesting for the Tigers, Cubs and Orioles.

Follow @brettkaplan

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The Tigers rode their starting rotation to a Central Division title and an appearance in the World Series. The Tigers have insured they will have the same rotation (more or less) that pitched a great postseason for Detroit.

They do have several questions facing them for the 2013 season, can they stay healthy, can Porcello or Smyly take a hold of the fifth job, and can recently re-signed Anibal Sanchez pitch as well as he did down the stretch and in the playoffs.

Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer finished 2012 leading all of baseball in strikeouts. What can we expect from them and the other Tigers starters in 2013?

Lets take a look and see.

Begin Slideshow

As the San Diego Padres continue their search for an additional starting pitcher, one name that has stuck out as a potential trade candidate is Detroit Tigers’ starting pitcher Rick Porcello.

Porcello is in an odd situation with the Tigers, as the team has six qualified starting pitchers but only one available spot left in their rotation. Led by veteran hurlers Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Doug Fister and newly signed right-hander Anibal Sanchez, the final spot in the rotation will either go to Porcello or lefty Drew Smyly. 

Smyly put together a respectable rookie season in 2012, so it looks like Porcello could be the odd man out.

The Padres could benefit from a pitcher like Porcello in their lineup.  

With only two starters last season (Clayton Richard and Edinson Volquez) that pitched over 180 innings, the Padres are in desperate need of a workhorse pitcher that can stay healthy and take them late into games.

Porcello has averaged 174 innings over the last four seasons and is just the kind of innings eater that the Padres need. He is also a ground ball-inducing pitcher who should fare well in spacious Petco Park. With an above-average fastball and a decent arsenal of pitches at his disposal, Porcello would be a wonderful addition to the Padres rotation.

He is only 23 and could benefit from the tutelage of Padres’ pitching coach Darren Balsley as well as manager Bud Black, who was also a former pitcher.  

In my eyes, Porcello is the ideal trade candidate for GM Josh Bynes and could make a fine addition to the Padres staff for many years to come.

Who else do you think the Padres should trade for, should signing a free-agent acquisition prove to be too costly?

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