The Tigers seem to be hitting quite well without Miguel Cabrera, scoring 12 runs in Seattle Monday night. J.D. Martinez hit his 24th home run, one of four Tigers long balls in a park that’s usually tough on power hitters. In the three games without Cabrera, the team is hitting .384/.426/.652. Maybe his injury served as a wake up call to the rest of the offense?

There’s been some talk about the Tigers being in a trap. Jeff Sullivan discussed this at FanGraphs, but I heard it on MLB radio as well. The Tigers, especially without Cabrera, may not be good enough to make the playoffs. Given the age of their players, it might be a good time to trade and rebuild. On the other hand, every AL team is a good winning streak away from wild card status. Oakland is last in the AL, but only seven games out of the wild card.

Back in the 1997, the White Sox, in contention, decided they should trade a star for prospects. That didn’t work out so well. The Tigers, I suspect, will try to win. Both Kansas City and Minnesota may fall back a bit in the second half. On top of that, the Tigers are trying to win a championship before their owner dies. If they sell, the team may not be able to rebuild in time. It’s a tough situation, but given that the league is evenly matched, the Tigers have a decent enough chance to win that I bet they go for it.