The Tigers are interested in bullpen help and have started scouting relievers, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse (via Twitter). They had a top scout at last night's Mariners-Royals game looking for bullpen help. Price doesn't mention specific relievers, but David Aardsma, Brandon League, Joakim Soria, Kyle Farnsworth and Bruce Chen are among the relievers on the Mariners and Royals that could interest the Tigers.
Detroit lost Joel Zumaya to season-ending elbow surgery after one of the more painful-looking baseball injuries of the year. Bobby Seay's shoulder injury may lead to a season-ending operation, too. Combine the time Zumaya and Seay missed with Ryan Perry's down year and you'd expect an inflated bullpen ERA. Surprisingly, Tigers relievers, led by Jose Valverde, have combined for a 3.31 ERA, but there is room for improvement.
Brad Thomas has walked five more batters than he has struck out; Daniel Schlereth has just 22 big league appearances; Enrique Gonzalez has just 36 big league appearances. The Tigers lead their division by half a game, but they could use relief help in spite of their impressive team ERA.
