KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Shane Greene’s work day began at 2 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon, in front of the Detroit Tigers’ dugout, with his trusty workout buddy. He brings his buddy nearly everywhere he goes. His workout buddy does not have a name, because it’s a medicine ball. And for about a half hour, hours before the Tigers were to play the Royals, a couple hours before Greene could be called on if the situation is right, he goes through an array of lunges and medicine ball throws that look like a workout combination of dancing and yoga. Greene has been doing this for the better part of three seasons, a workout designed to improve his hip mobility. During the All-Star break, one which he spent doing next to nothing besides reflecting on the second half, he made a point to get back into his medicine ball routine, which was often disrupted by the daily rigors of the season. More Detroit Tigers: How Alan Trammell became the Tigers' heartbeat for 20 seasons Kirk Gibson has some crazy Trammell, Morris stories: '40 stitches' “I thought of what was good and what was bad,” he said. “What I was doing when I was good, what I was doing when I was bad and I just made a little program for myself and I told myself I was going to make sure to stay on top of that a little bit more.” Not that Greene lost it completely. It’s just that with the travel and schedule of the off-season — like everyday people with their workout regimens — things often get pushed to the side because of life’s reality. Greene detailed his first half like this: “I liked how my arm felt most of the time. I didn’t love how my body felt most of the time but I kind of blame that on just the fact that this is the first time I’ve really been a closer besides the last half of last year and it’s more different than everything I’ve ever done. "You have more time on your hands but at the same time, in a game, I might get hot once or twice or even three times on the road and not pitch or get hot once then pitch the next inning kind of thing, and then you can pitch three or four days in a row and then not pitch for a week. So, those kind of things." Greene picked up his 20th save of the season on Monday, capping the Tigers' ninth-inning comeback with a scoreless ninth inning. For the season, he has saved 17-of-20 games, with a 3.86 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and more than a strikeout per inning. Tigers podcast: Shane Greene joins the show As the trade deadline looms, Greene is one of many team-controlled relievers who are of interest to competing teams, though there has been no indication that given the depth of the market, he is at the top of any particular team’s list. The Dodgers have kept a close eye on him for the past month but it’s most likely the Tigers hang on to him past the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline and perhaps explore trading him in the off-season. Reflecting on what happened on the field in the first half does himself no good, he said. “Baseball’s a crazy game,” he said. “You can throw the same pitch to the same guy 10 times and get different results so the results are what they are. I believe that everything comes from the preparation both mentally and physically. That’s all I can control. I can’t control when the ball leaves my hand. If a couple balls are caught at the wall instead of travelling over the wall, then those numbers look different.” And so Greene’s preparation begins in the afternoon, as the early part of a routine that he has worked to perfect over the past calendar year. Getting back to the medicine ball workouts are a second half resolution of sorts: In the first half, with so much cold weather early in the season, it was hard to stick to a normal schedule. “I don’t think you’ll ever have it completely perfected,” he said. “It’s a long season. You just adapt as you go.” Contact Anthony Fenech: afenech@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @anthonyfenech. Download our Tigers Xtra app for free on Apple and Android devices!<doc-sep>Just above every player on the Detroit Tigers roster has been mentioned in rumors leading up to the trade deadline, but it may wind up being a quiet event in the Motor City. If general manager Al Avila does decide to take some action, the focus will be on two areas that always seem to be hot at the end of July: back-end starting pitchers and closers. The Tigers have a couple starters in Mike Fiers and Francisco Liriano who fit this mold, but they also have Shane Greene, who has healthily returned from a quick trip to the disabled list to resume his closing duties. Almost any team could use a reliever like Greene, who could slot into any late-inning role and is under team control for two more seasons. Demand is one thing, though; willingness – and reason – to pay is something altogether different. True regression Greene was not quite elite in 2017, but he was very good. With a 2.66 ERA, 3.84 FIP, and 1.24 WHIP, he was among the best in Detroit and a top 50 reliever in baseball. These results were much better than his first three seasons in the majors, but those included injuries and a transition from the rotation to the bullpen. This season has been decent, but also a step back. A 3.86 ERA, 4.04 FIP, and 1.24 WHIP is not an awful line, but it does not exactly shoot to the top of any leaderboards. Greene is averaging about the same number of strikeouts per nine innings and over two fewer walks per nine, but his batting average against has jumped by 40 percentage points despite reduced hard contact and line drive rates. The bigger issue for Greene is his elevated home run numbers. He has already surrendered more homers in 42 innings this year than 67 innings last year, and his 15 percent home run to fly ball ratio is much higher than expected. Some of this could be due to assuming the closer role full time, but there is probably a luck aspect as well. Regression to the mean could go a couple directions for Greene. Some might look at his 2018 and assume that 2017 was as good as it was going to get, seeing this season as a move back toward his previous numbers. But with better strikeout, walk, and contact numbers, it seems like 2017 is more realistic than 2018, and that this year’s iteration of Greene might not be his best representation. Shane Greene 2017 vs 2018 Season SO/9 BB/9 HR/FB % Season SO/9 BB/9 HR/FB % 2017 9.71 4.52 10.2 2018 9.64 2.36 14.9 Understanding the market Given these factors, the next week may not be the best time for the Tigers to shop Greene. Contending teams are sure to inquire about him because of his raw ability, but the stat sheet may hurt Detroit in negotiations. Unless teams are willing to pay for the 2017 version of their closer, the Tigers should strongly hesitate in trading Greene now for a lesser price. Waiting out the market could help the Tigers, especially if other relivers go for high prices. The Indians were willing to pay a lot for Brad Hand, but his numbers are better than Greene’s almost across the board. Likewise, there will almost certainly be a few more relievers swapped who own superior numbers. If the Tigers can ride this wave as well, then great, but if not, there should be no rush. Greene has two more years left under contract, giving the Tigers two more trade deadlines to attempt to move him. There is always a risk of losing value, but there should be confidence in his ability to keep moving in the right direction. It would be fun to see Joe Jimenez as the closer next April, but it is in the organization’s best interest to hold onto Greene this week unless they can find a truly impressive return.<doc-sep>Detroit Tigers’ General Manager Al Avila has plenty of trade pieces to play around with as the trade deadline nears. Could closer Shane Greene be dealt? It’s no secret that the Detroit Tigers will be looking to trade veteran assets at this year’s trade deadline. Already the likes of Mike Fiers, Jose Iglesias, Francisco Liriano, Leonys Martin, Michael Fulmer, Matthew Boyd and even Nicholas Castellanos have been discussed in various trade rumors. Of course, one of Detroit’s most marketable trade assets is closer Shane Greene. Teams are always looking for bullpen help at the trade deadline, and Greene’s numbers should net the Tigers a pretty penny in regards to prospects. Greene is sporting a 3.86 ERA and a 9.64 K/9. His 2.36 BB/9 is a career-low, and his 20 saves is already a career-high, and is tied for seventh in the AL. Greene is averaging nearly 95 miles per hour on his fastball, with a wicked 11 inches of movement. His stuff is clearly meant for a late-inning role, and contending teams would love to be able to slot Greene into the mix. The Yankees, Indians and Nationals have already all made moves to acquire bullpen help. However, there are still plenty of teams out there who are known to be looking for late-inning help. And with Zach Britton, Brad Hand and Kelvin Herrera off the market, Greene is becoming more of a hot commodity. Here are a few teams who could show interest in Greene, and what a potential return could look like.<doc-sep>Greene pitched a perfect ninth inning to pick up the save in Saturday's 2-1 win over the Indians. While Greene has a mediocre 4.09 ERA, he's converted 21 of 24 save opportunities this season. With the Tigers out of contention, Greene remains a candidate to be dealt before Tuesday's trade deadline. If the 29-year-old is traded, he'll likely move into a setup role with his new team.<doc-sep>
The Detroit Tigers have yet to pull off a trade deadline move, despite having many tradable assets. Sending reliever Shane Greene to Pittsburgh makes sense for both sides. Detroit Tigers general manager Al Avila has yet to step up and make a trade before Tuesday’s non-waiver trade deadline. Despite having multiple assets that should command attention, including Jose Iglesias, Mike Fiers, Leonys Martin and Francisco Liriano, Avila has stood pat while other teams have sold away. One team that has only recently emerged as a potential buyer is the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates went on a nice 11-game winning streak in July and are only 5.5 games back of the Milwaukee Brewers for second place in the NL Central. They are known to be looking not only for bullpen help, but specifically for controllable bullpen pieces. They don’t want to mortgage any of their prospects for a half-year rental, especially in the highly competitive NL Central. However, they would love to add controllable relief help that can have an immediate impact this season, and that they can have in the bullpen for a few years beyond that. Shane Greene, who is under team control through 2020, fits the bill perfectly. Greene has 21 saves on the year, along with a 4.09 ERA and a 9.41 K/9. He would slot right into the back-end of Pittsburgh’s bullpen, providing some insurance for current closer Felipe Vazquez. However, closers with team control don’t come cheap at the trade deadline, and Pittsburgh will need to pony up a pretty penny to acquire Greene’s services. A Potential Return Cole Tucker is a 22-year-old shortstop prospect who is currently at Double-A. He is a switch-hitter, although he hits better from the left side. His power is still developing, and he should have at least gap-to-gap power in the major leagues. If he is able to fill out his six-foot-three frame, he could start to see more balls leave the yard. The 2014 first round pick is expected to stick at short long-term, and has demonstrated excellent plate discipline and speed in the minors. He swiped 47 bags last season, and has 28 in just 99 games at Double-A this year. He is slashing .260/.326/.355 this season. Tucker could be a slightly better hitting version of Jose Iglesias in his prime, although his defense won’t be quite that elite. In a system that lacks shortstops, Tucker would be a nice get for Greene. If the Pirates balk on Tucker, a few other names in Pittsburgh’s system to keep an eye on would be Kevin Newman, Will Craig and Ji-Hwan Bae. Apply to Motor City Bengals. Start your application process by filling out the fields below With less than two full days until the trade deadline is over, the Detroit Tigers will have to get busy if they want to acquire premier young talent in exchange for their veteran players.