MLB Trade Rumors: Potential Steve Cishek landing spots

Detroit Tigers

As you may know, the Marlins have kind of been one of Detroit’s farm teams over the past several years, so don’t be surprised if the Tigers come calling for Cishek. The Joe Nathan experiment has crashed and burned to the tune of a 6.06 ERA and the 39 year-old has often been the subject of ridicule. The Tigers could use a younger closer and have the money to lock him up long term, which is a thing they tend to do with players they acquire from the Marlins. Cishek obviously fits, and would be a major upgrade over the flaky Nathan.

The Tigers are 13 games above .500 and lead the AL Central thanks to their outstanding rotation and, um, Miguel Cabrera and Co. Their horrendous 4.40 bullpen ERA is a cause for concern, and plugging Steve Cishek in as closer, I feel, makes them a legitimate postseason contender.

Could the Marlins swing a deal for Detroit’s top prospects like lefty pitcher Robbie Ray or second baseman Devon Travis? That remains to be seen. They have a solid catching prospect in 24 year-old James McCann who MLB.com ranks the eighth-best prospect in the organization. With Miami’s catching pipeline looking rather bleak, don’t be surprised if McCann is in the cards — assuming Dave Dombrowski is willing to part with him for a major immediate upgrade.