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Tigers Roster Set, No Trades Likely

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The Tigers have been at the center of a number of recent trade rumors. There was the Huston Street rumor, and the Mike Wuertz rumor. But the one player that seemed the most likely to go, Brandon Inge, is still a member of the Tigers and now it appears that he will not be going anywhere in the near future.

Jim Leyland was asked yesterday if there would be any last-minute deals.

"My boss (general manager Dave Dombrowski) said it was OK to tell you that’s the team."

In fact it now looks like Inge will be the everyday center fielder, at least for the time being, as Curtis Granderson will start the season on the DL. Inge’s $6.2MM salary for 2008 suddenly doesn’t seem like that much of a burden.

Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here.

Freddy Guzman Clears Waivers

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1:53pm: No one claimed Guzman; he’ll head to Double A for the Tigers.

10:03am: According to Jon Paul Morosi, the Tigers have placed 27 year-old center fielder Freddy Guzman on outright waivers.  Coming up with the Padres, Guzman was highly regarded by Baseball America for his "game-changing speed."

Guzman doesn’t have much of an arm but he certainly covers a lot of ground in center.  He walks a decent amount for a guy with no power.  He could be claimed by a club feeling the need for speed in its fourth or fifth outfield spot.

Tigers Release Tim Byrdak

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According to MLB.com’s Jason Beck, the Tigers released 34 year-old southpaw reliever Tim Byrdak today.  Byrdak stuck out 49 in 46 innings last year, but also walked 26.  He had a lousy spring, and apparently Jim Leyland’s confidence doesn’t mean much.

The Detroit Tiger Weblog is now wondering what the Tigers will do for a second lefty in the ’pen.  There are various guys floating around (Aaron Fultz comes to mind), but no one markedly better than Byrdak.  Currently there’s nothing imminent in the Tigers’ hunt for bullpen help.

Miguel Cabrera Signs Extension

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4:08pm: John Lowe has the year by year breakdown and adds that there are ten teams Cabrera can be traded to without his permission.

TUESDAY, 12:44pm: Cabrera’s seven-year extension is official.  $20MM a year is a solid price for 25 year-old superstar who has never been injured.  And Cabrera sets himself up for one more massive deal, just like A-Rod did.

MONDAY, 8:57am: Though we don’t have an official announcement and press conference from the Tigers yet, it’s obvious that an agreement has been reached.  Sabernomics thinks Cabrera will be worth $268MM over this time period; PECOTA feels differently.  Cabrera will only be 32 when this contract ends.  Though their ages don’t match up, Jim Salisbury and Todd Zolecki believe this deal could be a comparable for Ryan Howard.

SUNDAY, 8:52pm: Danny Knobler clarifies: it’s a seven-year extension worth around $140MM, starting with the 2009 season.  Regardless, it’s a team-friendly deal.

12:18am: According to ESPN’s Enquire Rojas, Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera is set to sign an eight-year, $153.3MM extension.  That’s $19.16MM per year for 2009-16.  Definitely less than I expected him to sign for.  We’ll examine the deal more closely when details become available.   

Cubs Outfield Situation: Crisp, Johnson, Byrd

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Quite a bit of info is floating about this evening regarding the Cubs’ quest to add an outfielder.  Let’s put it all together.

  • SI.com’s Jon Heyman names Coco Crisp, Jay Payton, Marlon Byrd, and Brandon Inge as possible targets.  Inge makes the least sense given his salary and the Tigers’ need for him while Curtis Granderson is out.
  • ESPN’s Jayson Stark confirms Ken Rosenthal’s assertion that the Cubs are leading the pack for Reed Johnson.  Stark speculates that such an acquisition could prompt the Cubs to trade Matt Murton. 
  • ESPN’s Peter Gammons says Red Sox scout Allard Baird is currently observing the Cubs.  Other scouts in ’zona are speculating about a Sean Gallagher for Crisp scenario.  Gammons notes that the Red Sox wouldn’t mind getting Murton back, either.  He thinks the Sox are wary of trading Crisp right now though, echoing a sentiment from Buster Olney. 
  • Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News writes that the Rangers want Murton plus one of Jose Ceda, Gallagher, or Donald Veal for Byrd.  Jim Hendry did recently re-engage the Rangers, according to Grant.

Tigers Want Huston Street?

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According to Dan Graziano of the Newark Star-Ledger:

The Tigers, desperate for a pitcher at the back end of their bullpen, are trying to have serious discussions with Oakland about closer Huston Street. But so far, the A’s have not even decided if they want to trade Street. And if they do, they’re likely to ask more than the Tigers have to offer.

We talked about Street a couple days ago.  Jon Heyman believed the asking price would be huge; Susan Slusser suggested the A’s might wait until midseason.  The Tigers aren’t a great fit given their farm system.

Tigers Said To Be Targeting Wuertz; Cubs Disagree

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The Detroit Tigers have some last-minute shopping left to do to shore up their bullpen. As you learned on Friday, Jon Paul Morosi noted the Tigers’ interest in righty Mike Wuertz and the Cubs’ fondness for Brandon Inge and Marcus Thames. Inge, it’s worth noting, has seen time at catcher, third base, and all three outfield positions—and as of this spring, even shortstop.

The Chicago Sun-Times, however, says Inge and Thames "make no sense for the Cubs" and that the Cubs have as of yet had no discussions with the Tigers about a deal for Wuertz involving those players. (For what it’s worth, Baseball America does see some validity in the Inge-to-Chicago rumors.)

The Sun-Times also notes that Wuertz is one of just two Cubs pitchers not to allow a run this spring (lefty Carmen Pignatiello is the other), while Cubs manager Lou Piniella affirms that the only remaining hole on his roster is "somebody that can help out in center field."

Sarah Green writes for the Boston Metro and UmpBump.com. She can be reached here.

Tigers Interested In Wuertz

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According to Jon Paul Morosi of the Detroit Free Press, the Tigers are targeting Cubs reliever Mike Wuertz.  He notes that the Cubs like Marcus Thames and Brandon Inge.  Thames’ inability to play center and Inge’s contract could be issues though, in my opinion. 

Wuertz, 29, is an underrated reliever with a nasty slider.  Given the state of Detroit’s bullpen, he could see save chances if acquired. This was his first year of arbitration eligibility, and he settled at $860K.  Wuertz is pretty far down in the Cubs’ bullpen pecking order, for some reason.

Could Tigers Trade For An Atlanta Reliever?

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7:21pm: David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution confirms Detroit’s interest in the Braves’ Out Of Options Four.  DOB can envision a scenario where the Braves carry three of the four and trade one.

3:23pm: Jon Paul Morosi of the Detroit Free Press speculates that the Tigers and Braves may match up well for a trade.  Morosi notes four out of options relievers for Atlanta: Blaine Boyer, Chris Resop, Royce Ring, and Tyler Yates.  He also mentions "frequent trade discussions" in recent years between the two clubs.

ESPN’s Jayson Stark wrote yesterday that the Tigers "would like to add a big-time set-up arm."   Stark said nothing was imminent but the Tigers have been active in trade discussions.  The above Braves relievers don’t fit the "big-time" criteria; Atlanta’s four would make sense for Philly if they weren’t in the same division. 

My list of more highly regarded guys who might be available: Brian Fuentes, Damaso Marte, Joe Nathan, Jamie Walker, Chad Bradford, Huston Street, Alan Embree, Kevin Gregg, Jon Rauch, and Chad Cordero.  Any others come to mind?

Inge Unlikely For Dodgers

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It figures that the Dodgers would step up their efforts to bring in a third baseman given news of Nomar’s microfracture.  Jon Paul Morosi says their search has intensified, but Brandon Inge is not a likely target.  The Dodgers don’t want to spend that kind of money. 

This might imply that Joe Crede is the perfect fit, but Morosi also says the Dodgers want a player capable of playing second base.  Given those criteria, the Royals’ Esteban German and the Nationals’ Ron Belliard seem to make the most sense.  Ken Rosenthal wrote on March 9th that both players had attracted the Dodgers’ interest, but Dayton Moore then told Bob Dutton that they Dodgers hadn’t called about German.  Rob Neyer and Jeff Weisman believe Chin-Lung Hu is the cure to the short-term third base problem.

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