Q: Do you think the Detroit Tigers have enough to take the AL Central, as opposed to last year’s late-season collapse? Also, what do they need to do to get back to the World Series?
— Alex S., Irvine, Calif.

A: The Tigers’ situation is pretty well-established: Great lineup, some great starting pitching, but concerns in the bullpen. Do they have enough to win the AL Central with what they have now? I certainly believe they do. And some help should be on the way soon.

Fernando Rodney is close to coming off the disabled list, and Joel Zumaya is throwing again, and should be back at some point in August. Come playoff time, they also will be able to slide hard-throwing Andrew Miller back into a setup role, giving them another power arm for the late innings.

I also think they could make a move in the next week to add a reliever such as Pittsburgh’s Salomon Torres, by giving up a pitching prospect and/or perhaps Craig Monroe. And all that said, it’s not as if the bullpen is terrible in its current form. Prior to faltering in a double-header sweep at the hands of the White Sox on Tuesday, Tigers relievers had a combined 4-1 record and 2.40 ERA in July.

Coming out of the All-Star break every season, I write a column predicting the World Series winner. This time, I chose the Tigers, in part because of the strengths mentioned above, plus the fact they came so close last year, when they really should have won it. But truthfully, it’s a tossup between any of the top five teams — Tigers, Red Sox, Mets, Indians, Angels — each with their strengths and flaws.

Q: Boston has its Curse of the Bambino; does Pittsburgh have a Barry Bonds Curse? They have not had a winning season since they let Bonds walk away into free agency. Could this be what has doomed the Pirates to the National League’s version of Davey Jones’ locker?
— Al Bergman, North Huntingdon, Pa.

A: Call it what you want, Al, but it all boils down to the Pirates’ poor financial situation. A couple of ownership changes during that time haven’t really changed anything. The Pirates continue to lag near the bottom on the game’s revenues list, and with one of the game’s lowest payrolls, haven’t been able to get over the hump.

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I’ve written this a handful of times when it comes to the Pirates, and I’ll write it again. The only way for them to go — and they are trying to do it this way — is to follow the model of the A’s, Twins, Indians, and now, the Brewers. That is, to develop talent from within — young talent that is inexpensive and controllable until free agency. But it’s not that easy, and not everybody who tries it succeeds at it. Just look at the Devil Rays.

The Pirates have had some tough luck with pitching injuries, yet still have developed some solid big-league starters. But they have not been as successful with position players, especially in comparison to the Brewers.

Q: I have been hearing rumors that the Reds might trade Ken Griffey Jr. to the Brewers. I think this would be great, but who do they sit down, as their outfield is pretty good right now.
— Jim Whitt, Cumberland, Wis.

A: You hear a lot of things this time of year, Jim, and the vast majority of them never pan out. Part of that is because this simply is the process general managers go through in assessing what’s out there, and what might be the best deals to make for their teams. And part of that is the increased scrutiny and media coverage in this Internet generation.

In this case in particular, Brewers GM Doug Melvin already has shot down that rumor. I think the Brewers will add some veteran depth — perhaps a Kenny Lofton type — but I really don’t think they will be doing anything as major as taking on Griffey and his salary.

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