With less than two weeks before the July 31 trade deadline, the full assortment of teams that may ultimately become sellers remains somewhat unclear. However, that does not apply to the Detroit Tigers, who have fielded interest in pitchers Matthew Boyd and Shane Greene.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are widely expected to address their bullpen prior to the midseason deadline, and they have been among the clubs linked to Greene. L.A. additionally is said to have inquired on Boyd, who remains under team control beyond this season.
Well out of the American League postseason picture, the Tigers figure to part with Boyd and/or Greene, among others, in effort to improve their outlook in future years.
As they mull over potential trades, the Dodgers reportedly remain interested in a possible deal for Greene, according to Jon Morosi of MLB.com:
#Dodgers showing continued interest in #Tigers closer Shane Greene, sources say. @anthonyfenech initially reported the Dodgers had inquired on him. @MLBNetwork @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 19, 2019
The Dodgers’ interest in Greene dates back to last season, though it’s not believed talks ever advanced to a serious stage.
The Tigers acquired the 30-year-old from the New York Yankees as part of three-team trade in December 2014 that also involved the Arizona Diamondbacks. Greene began his MLB career as a starter and was moved into the Tigers bullpen in 2016, though was inconsistent for three years.
The right-handed closer is in the midst of a career season, as he’s converted 22 saves and pitched to 1.02 ERA, 3.66 FIP and 0.85 WHIP in 34 games. Greene was an All-Star this season for the first time in his career.
Greene’s 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings is tied for his second-highest mark, and 3.50 strikeout-to-walk ratio is his best. So too is Greene’s 53.4 percent groundball rate.
The Dodgers don’t appear likely to supplant Kenley Jansen as closer, but Greene would provide the team with another late-inning option. This is also is not the first time the Dodgers have seemingly been willing to pair Jansen with another closer.
They nearly completed a trade for Aroldis Chapman during the 2015 Winter Meetings, and this year have been linked to Brad Hand, Will Smith and Felipe Vazquez.
