Greene prepared for trade rumors going into July

DETROIT -- Shane Greene's indoctrination as Tigers closer was a Sunday night dinner in New York two years ago.

The team had just flown in, but Justin Wilson was on his way out, traded to the Cubs the night before the Deadline. Two years prior, Greene had converted from a starting pitcher to a standout setup man, and Wilson – a setup man who became a nasty closer that summer after Francisco Rodriguez – had helped him along.

“He knows the business, and he knows the game,” Greene said of the Wilson at the time. “He knew there was a good chance he wasn’t going to be here.”

Greene took the mound the next night and picked up a five-out save against the Yankees. Then he went out the next day and saved another.

Two years and 63 saves later, Greene celebrates his first All-Star selection. And as the Tigers prepare to be sellers for the third consecutive Trade Deadline, he could be excused if he had any sense that this feels familiar, even though he’s now on the veteran side of it.

Greene knows the business.

“As long as you’re a back-end bullpen guy and you’re pitching well, that’s what’s going to happen,” he said. “This won’t be the last time in my career that I’m a trade target. It’s a part of it. Right now I’m a Detroit Tiger and that’s all that matters.”

While an All-Star selection isn’t normally a great gauge for a closer’s value, especially when that closer is his team’s lone representative, the resume Greene will bring to Cleveland for next week’s All-Star festivities includes many of the same credentials the Tigers will be marketing for teams.

Even as some teams devalue the save statistic, the fact that Greene has saved 22 of Detroit’s 27 wins as its season nears the midway point is a feat. Seven of those saves came in the Tigers’ first 10 games, something no pitcher had done in Major League history. He saved five games in a six-day span of early April, showing a durability some scouts had wondered about last season.

“He was saving games like every night,” manager Ron Gardenhire said. “That’s what’s really impressive, that he can do that, and he wanted the ball.”

While Greene has just 10 saves since the end of April, his success in his rare opportunities the last couple months has shown the value of his workout routine and his ability stay fresh. He went five days without an appearance in early May, then saved back-to-back games in Minnesota with scoreless innings against the first-place Twins.

After a ninth-inning error extended his outing and led to a Garrett Cooper grand slam and five unearned runs in a loss to the Marlins May 23, Greene came back the next night and saved a win against the Mets in New York. He hasn’t given up a run since.

“We’re not giving him enough opportunities,” Gardenhire said, “and just have to pitch him in non-save situations just to get him innings now. We’d rather have it the other way, trying to figure out when we can get him a break from getting saves. But he’ll take the ball no matter what, and he’s been impressive all summer long.”

Regardless of the situation, he wants the ball. He has worked hard to make sure he’s able to take it whenever he’s called. Tigers catcher Bobby Wilson, who played with Fernando Rodney for part of last year with the Twins, noted the similar work ethic to physically hold up amidst the uneven workload.

No Major League pitcher with at least 30 innings this season has a lower ERA than Greene’s 0.87. Just three big league pitchers with 30 or more innings have held hitters to a lower batting average than Greene’s .152 clip. His 1.57 Win Probability Added is top-10 for closers in the Majors, according to Fangraphs.

Delve into Statcast, and the metrics back it up. Greene ranks among the top 1 percent of pitchers this season with a .210 weighted on-base average (wOBA) allowed. His .202 expected batting average (xBA) allowed -- based on exit velocities, launch angles and similar factors – ranks just outside the top 10 percent. Opponents are batting just 6-for-41 (.146) off his sinker, compared with .291 a year ago. While his exit velocity is slightly up, his launch angle allowed is slightly down, helping him keep the ball in the park.

While the All-Star Game isn’t normally a showcase for the trade market, the chance for Greene to get into a game against star hitters on a big-time stage – save opportunity or no – is arguably worthwhile. His usage will be determined by American League All-Star manager Alex Cora, whose Red Sox are among the many teams in need of bullpen help for a playoff chase.

While Matthew Boyd will likely command the biggest trade return among Tigers players on the market, Greene should have the widest interest. Nearly every contending team has a use for bullpen depth down the stretch, even those with established closers. The Cubs, who just added Craig Kimbrel to their bullpen, were among the teams with a scout in attendance for most of Detroit’s just-completed homestand. Add in the fact that Greene has another season to go before free agency, teams on the fringe of contention now who see their window looking better for next year could have a motivation to bring him in.

Whether or not teams see Greene as a closer, the versatility he has shown over his career, recording four- and five-out saves as recently as two years ago, bring appeal. One National League evaluator who watched Greene last month said he could make an ideal setup man or multi-inning middle reliever for a team with an established closer.

So at the end of this month, when the Tigers are wrapping up their West Coast trip in Anaheim against the Angels, Greene could well be having a conversation with young setup man Joe Jimenez. He could well be passing along the lessons he learned from Wilson.

“Living each day for what it is,” Greene said. “I can’t control the future. I can’t control the past. I can only control right here, right now.”