May 3, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Antonio Bastardo (59) reacts after striking out the Washington Nationals catcher Sandy Leon (41) (not pictured) for the final out at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies defeated the Nationals, 7-2. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
The Detroit Tigers haven’t been shy about seeking out bullpen help. Wednesday they traded for Texas Rangers reliever Joakim Soria, but they may not be finished.
Plenty of scouts have checked in on Phillies pitchers Jonathan Papelbon, A.J. Burnett and Cliff Lee, but Antonio Bastardo has been drawing plenty of attention himself.
While scouts have flocked to Citizen’s Bank Park, Phillies scouts have also been active. A Phillies scout was keeping tabs on Jake Thompson from the Tigers system when he was in Reading on Wednesday. Thompson was then traded to the Rangers in the Soria deal, but it’s possible the scout was looking at more than one Detroit prospect.
Fox Sports’ Jon Morosi reported earlier in the week that the Tigers had interest in Bastardo and Papelbon.
After acquiring Soria it doesn’t seem likely the Tigers would go for both bullpen arms, especially not Papelbon who blew a save Tuesday night and allowed three runs in the ninth inning of a scoreless game Wendesday night.
ESPN’s Jayson Stark reports the haven’t been serious about Papelbon anyway.
Feel free to disregard talk that #Tigers trade for Soria was a blow to #Phillies efforts to deal Papelbon. Tigers never seriously in on him
— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) July 24, 2014
Bastardo is a left-hander who has gotten the attention of several teams. With scouts watching this week he’s pitched 1.1 scoreless innings while striking out two. The southpaw allowed a run on two hits and a walk in his only appearance at Comerica Park, a place he could call home soon.
CSN’s Jim Salisbury said favorites for Bastardo were Detroit along with Pittsburgh, Toronto and Kansas City.
With Papelbon and Lee struggling so close to the deadline, Bastardo may be one of the only quality pieces the Phillies can move.
With Thompson now out of the Tigers system, it’s possible the Phillies could either look to other prospects or work a deal with the Pirates who continue to have heavy interest in Burnett.