KANSAS CITY -- Tigers left-hander Justin Wilson transitioned from setup man to closer in May like nothing had changed. He still did his job, just in a different inning. That has become his approach to the trade market.
Wilson is trying to keep the industry buzz out of mind as the non-waiver Trade Deadline on July 31 creeps closer.
"There's a lot of rumors, of course. There's probably going to be a lot more in the next week," Wilson said. "For me, personally, I've got a great family, so we'll just pack up and go if need be. If not, we'll enjoy it here. ...
"Like I've said from the get-go, I hope we win here and I get to stay here. But it's part of the business. If I get traded, I get traded."
The rumors are picking up. The Rays have had talks with the Tigers on Wilson and felt like they had traction, according to report by the Tampa Bay Times. However, no deal is believed to be close.
The Tigers have had a bevy of interested clubs engage them on Wilson in what has become a seller's market for bullpen help. The Nationals, even after acquiring Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson from the A's, remain interested in Wilson, according to MLB.com's Jon Morosi. The Nats talked with the Tigers about Wilson before pulling off the trade with the A's, but didn't give up any of their top prospects in that deal.
The Rangers, too, have talked with the Tigers about Wilson, MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan reported on Monday. The Astros and Dodgers have also been reported with interest.
With two weeks left before the Trade Deadline and no shortage of suitors, the Tigers can keep their asking price high, like the Padres are reportedly doing with lefty reliever Brad Hand. There's also a strong motivation to aim high. While J.D. Martinez, Alex Avila and others have select markets, the demand for relief help is wide across baseball.
Add in the fact that Wilson has another year before free agency, giving an acquiring team a year and a half of his services, and that leaves Wilson with the most demand, and more rumors.
"I think it's more intense for Justin than me right now," Martinez said, "just because that's the need, that's the market right now. There's not that many teams out there that need a player like me. They could use a player that could help me, but as far as that need, I feel like he has it worse right now."
For now, at least, Wilson is not showing it.