The Tigers are reportedly receiving interest in Rick Porcello, and according to Danny Knobler of CBS Sports the team is also fielding calls on Drew Smyly (Twitter link). Detroit isn't necessarily committed to trading one or the other, but Knobler guesses that one of the two will go.
Having signed Anibal Sanchez to a five-year contract, the Tigers now possess an enviable surplus of starting pitching. Sanchez will join Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer and Doug Fister in a rotation that will be rounded out by either Porcello or Smyly.
Smyly, 23, made his Major League debut this season and posted a strong rookie campaign. The southpaw pitched to a 3.99 ERA with 8.5 K/9, 3.0 BB/9 and a 39.9 percent ground-ball rate in 99 1/3 innings. Sabermetric stats such as FIP (3.83), xFIP (3.87) and SIERA (3.75) all support his success. Teams such as the Angels, Pirates, Padres, Twins and Phillies are all on the lookout for starting pitching this offseason and would likely have interest in Smyly, though that's just my speculation.
