Cleveland Indians: Are any Detroit starting pitchers on Tribe’s radar?

Spencer Turnbull

If this article does anything it should make fans of the Cleveland Indians feel like they aren’t alone in losing all their starting pitchers to injury. With that being said, Spencer Turnbull is the next name on the list of both potential trade targets and currently injured Tigers pitchers.

Turnbull’s injury is a right forearm strain. Back on June 8, A.J. Hinch said he didn’t think Turnbull would miss significant time, yet here we are, 20 days later, and he’s still on the list. However, before the injury Turnbull was turning heads as one of the top arms on the trade market.

With nine starts under his belt in 2021, Turnbull was able to maintain a 2.88 ERA with a 4-2 record. Not bad for being on a struggling team. He also tallied 44 strikeouts with just 12 walks over 50 innings.

Obviously those numbers are pre-injury so the Turnbull that returns could be a totally different pitcher. Plus, his contract could make him very difficult to pry away from the Tigers.

Unlike Boyd and Fulmer who could be gone soon, Turnbull still has three years of arbitration, keeping him under team control through the 2024 season. For a team like Detroit that’s rebuilding, he could very well fit into their window for success. That paired with the injury makes him seem like the least likely to be moved at the deadline of the group.