8:04pm: Jon Paul Morosi of the Detroit Free Press quotes Scott Boras as saying it’s highly unlikely Ordonez will be traded. Ordonez can block trades to all but ten teams.
1:10pm: Jon Paul Morosi talked to Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski, who says there will not be a significant difference in payroll this year. I calculated they’d be over $120MM with the current group, leaving roughly $14MM to spend this winter barring other moves. The needs: catcher, shortstop, bullpen.
Dombrowski will need to be creative, and trading for an affordable closer makes sense. The Tigers are rumored to be in on Khalil Greene as a possible shortstop solution. The catcher market is bleak, so don’t expect much there.
As far as trading Magglio Ordonez, Morosi says the Tigers may consider it if they can fill multiple holes with a trade.
