2008-2009 TEAM CHANGES POSTED HERE

Turbulent winter ahead? Firings begin with Tigers pitching coach

BY JON PAUL MOROSI • FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER • September 29, 2008

The Tigers announced Sunday that they have fired pitching coach Chuck Hernandez and bullpen coach Jeff Jones, the first moves in what could be a turbulent winter for the team.

Club officials had indicated for several days that changes were imminent, following one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history. Manager Jim Leyland acknowledged the dismissals following Detroit's 8-7 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.

"Situations like this, you know somebody's going to pay," Leyland said. "If it was next year at this time, it would be me.

"I feel very bad for both guys. I've never fired coaches. I don't fire coaches. As people and baseball people, they're both very good. It just didn't work out."

As recently as Friday afternoon, Hernandez said he had not been told of his status for 2009, an ominous sign. On Sunday, he learned his fate. Many fans blamed him for the underperformance of a pitching staff that has the American League's third-worst ERA (4.88). Leyland called the pitching staff "probably the most glaring part, along with our defense, that struggled."

Jeremy Bonderman, Nate Robertson and Dontrelle Willis -- who earned nearly $20 million among them -- combined to win 10 games. The bullpen blew 27 save opportunities, including one Sunday afternoon.

"It's tough, because I know I'm partially to blame for this," said Justin Verlander, 11-17 with a 4.84 ERA this season. "I really learned a lot from him (Hernandez). What he's taught me these three years will have a lasting influence on my career."

When asked what kind of coach would be needed to connect with the team's current pitchers, Leyland replied, "I would have to say at least one of the apostles."

Leyland said he has no particular candidates in mind for either job, since the final decision was made less than a week ago. Leyland said the firings were a "mutual agreement" between him and club president/general manager Dave Dombrowski.

Leyland has previously said that he would prefer for his coaching hires to come from within the organization. On Sunday, he made an addendum to that statement: "Not at the expense of my job."

It appears, then, that Leyland is inclined to seek an experienced pitching coach. Leo Mazzone and Rick Peterson, well-known for their work in Atlanta and Oakland, respectively, were fired from their latest jobs and are available this off-season.

Oakland's Curt Young, a Saginaw native, and Florida's Mark Wiley, who had prior success with Willis, are established big-league pitching coaches, but there is no evidence to suggest that either is inclined to leave his current club.

Leyland said he has autonomy to pick his coaches but added that Dombrowski has veto power over the selections.

Hernandez and Jones said through a team spokesman that they will address the media today in Chicago, where the Tigers will conclude their season with a makeup game against the White Sox. Both will be in uniform during the game, Leyland said.

Hernandez, 47, has been with the team for three seasons. He was the pitching coach in 2006, when Detroit led the majors with a 3.84 ERA.

Jones, 52, is a Detroit native and longtime Michigan resident who has coached in the Tigers organization at various levels since 1989.

Both coaches were signed through 2009, so the team will continue to pay their salaries. Leyland said there is a "strong possibility" that Jones will remain with the organization in another capacity.

"Believe me: I've had a real tough week," Leyland said. "I've had a knot in my stomach, because I've known it for a few days. To walk around the clubhouse, look at them, talk to them, sit next to them on the bench, it's not a good feeling.

"They're both outstanding. They're going to be missed. I feel terrible about it."

Contact JON PAUL MOROSI at 313-223-4097 or jmorosi@freepress.com. Check out his Tigers blog at www.freep.com/sports

Five possible candidates


Brad Arnsberg
Blue Jays pitching coach

He has a strong rapport with pitchers and the AL's
best ERA. His contract ends after this season, but he recently told the Toronto Star he is "99%" sure that he will return on a two-year deal.

Mark Wiley
Marlins pitching coach

He had success with the Indians in the 1990s. Perhaps more important, Wiley coached Dontrelle Willis in 2005, his best season.

Leo Mazzone
Ex-Braves, ex-O's pitching coach
He was the pitching coach during the Atlanta Braves' run of 14 National League East titles. His tenure in Baltimore was less remarkable.

Rick Peterson
Ex-A's, ex-Mets pitching coach

His staffs have carried their teams to the postseason in recent years. The
Mets fired him along with manager Willie Randolph this year.

Curt Young
A's pitching coach

A Saginaw native, he pitched at Central Michigan and had a long A's career. He's worked well with a young staff; the A's will want to keep him.

JON PAUL MOROSI

Tigers won't pick up Edgar Renteria's option for next year

By John Lowe • FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER • September 29, 2008

CHICAGO -- The Tigers won't pick up shortstop Edgar Renteria's option for next season, team president and general manager Dave Dombrowski said today.

The decision leaves shortstop and catcher as the two open spots in next year's lineup.

Dombrowski wouldn't rule out re-signing Renteria as a free agent, but said the club would look at other options.

In another development, Dombrowski indicated the club will seek a ninth-inning closer from outside the organization to replace Todd Jones, but said he didn't anticipate being involved in what is expected to be the high bidding for free agent Francisco Rodriguez, who this season with the Angels set the all-time saves record.

Thank God



No K-Rod


The most overrated closer in MLB history

09/29/2008 5:02 PM ET
Dombrowski addresses offseason
President/GM says Tigers will make moves accordingly
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

CHICAGO -- The sprinkles began falling as Tigers president/general manager Dave Dombrowski sat in the visitors' dugout at U.S. Cellular Field on Monday morning, talking with reporters about what his team faces this offseason.

The heavier rains -- on and off the field -- were still to come, well after Dombrowski was finished talking. It was fitting, not just because it always seems to rain this season when the Tigers are in town, but because the storm of activity of Detroit's offseason is still to come.

"We've had a bad year as a team," Dombrowski said, "and now what we have to do is go out and try to fix it. ... I feel like we have the nucleus to have a good club for next year, but we've got our work ahead of us."

The aftermath of the Tigers' disappointing season began before the season even ended. Pitching coach Chuck Hernandez and bullpen coach Jeff Jones were dismissed on Sunday, and the team told shortstop Edgar Renteria that his contract option would not be picked up, making him a free agent this winter. Plenty more decisions will be made in the coming weeks with organizational meetings in Detroit, as well as the club's Spring Training headquarters in Lakeland, Fla., before the offseason begins in earnest.

The moves will not be meant to slash payroll, Dombrowski indicated, nor will the Tigers be taking on another big payroll boost. They're somewhere in between, and their focus will be on building a pitching staff and supporting cast around their core offensive talent that can allow them to contend.

"At this point, I would be surprised if we're real big participants in free agency," Dombrowski said. "We have a solid core of players. ... If you look at the top of our lineup, our first six guys, they're stars. I don't know that they'll have good years or bad years, but they're star players.

"So we need guys that can fit in and contribute and maybe do the little things a little bit. We don't need to go find an All-Star at every position. We need some guys that can fit in and give us a little hop in our step, mix some young guys in here."

While Dombrowski listed pitching and defense as the most pressing needs, he put special emphasis on bolstering a bullpen that has blown 27 save opportunities and lost 13 games when leading through seven innings.

The closer's role will be at the top of Dombrowski's list. And it's a task which he isn't yet sure how he'll fill.

"I don't have an answer to that yet," Dombrowski said. "I don't really count on [Joel] Zumaya to be it [due to injuries], though he could be it. It's something we're just going to have to look at and explore all our options."

Fernando Rodney is one such option, though not necessarily a high one.

"He is our leading candidate if we open with the team we have right now," Dombrowski said. "But I'm looking to hopefully find someone else that can do that role for us. Is he capable? Yes, he can do it at times, but he has to throw more strikes on a consistent basis."

That leads him to the free-agent and trade markets, where record-setting Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez is widely seen as the top free-agent reliever. However, Dombrowski indicated that the Tigers' offseason spending won't send them into a bidding war for Rodriguez or other top-priced free agents.

"Do you spend the dollars that you have and go get a bullpen? Which closer can you get out there?" Dombrowski said. "I don't think we're going to be involved in K-Rod. Those things will outstrip us at this point. But you never know how those things work."

That isn't to say that the Tigers won't have room to add on players.

"We have flexibility to do some things," Dombrowski said. "I don't have flexibility to do tons of things, but I have flexibility to do some things. Sometimes you trade young players for young players.

"We've got plenty of finances that are attributed to our ballclub. Now we just have to make them work better for us."

On the issue of payroll, Dombrowski said, "We've spent a lot of dollars for next year. We're going to have a high payroll. We don't have a final number on that. I don't think we look to reduce that significantly."

One way to work the roster will be the influx of young talent. Dusty Ryan could end up being the starting catcher or in a platoon situation, Dombrowski suggested, while Jeff Larish, Matt Joyce and other callups from this year could be in pivotal part-time roles. Dombrowski was very pleased that all of them will be playing some sort of offseason ball -- Larish in the Arizona Fall League, Ryan and Joyce in winter ball.

Ramon Santiago could have some sort of timeshare at shortstop, though the Tigers will search the market and could re-sign Renteria. Whatever they do at short, however, it could be a short-term fix before the long-term answer emerges from the farm system.

"We've got a couple real good young guys in our system," Dombrowski said. "I think Cale Iorg is going to be an All-Star, and I think he's going to be an All-Star very soon -- I mean, real soon. This guy's a good player, and Danny Worth is a real good player."

Worth finished the season at Triple-A Toledo, while Iorg spent the season at Class A Lakeland.

"We've got to work some more of these guys in," Dombrowski continued, using his young infielders as an example. "We had a veteran-laden club last year."

They'll have no shortage of veterans next year, either. The challenge Dombrowski faces is to build the group around them.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

What is so bad about Santiago at short?


Give this guy a chance

My votes:

Grab Tek and Rafael Furcal!

Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Dombrowski won't identify his untouchables
Terry Foster / The Detroit News

DETROIT -- There are a few Tigers that Dave Dombrowski is not willing to trade this offseason, though the general manager on Tuesday stopped short of identifying those players.

Though not specifically referring to them as "untouchable," Dombrowski made special mention of Curtis Granderson, Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander as talented, young players that a franchise could be built around.

"You always listen at this time, when you are coming off what is considered a down year," Dombrowski said about possible trades. "There will be a few players we will not trade. I won't get into specifics. You listen a lot more (to offers) when you are coming off a down year."

Granderson, the Tigers' center fielder, hit .280 this year with 22 home runs, 26 doubles and 13 triples.

Cabrera hit .292 and led the team with 37 homers and 127 RBI.

Verlander was 11-17 with a 4.84 ERA. He was the only Tiger to log more than 200 innings (201).

It was a shitty year bottom line.

We need another good starter that way we can get rid of Nate. Our rotation would be like

Verlander
Bondo
Whoever we pick up I would think. Burnett? Dempster? I like those two the most out of the FA.
Gala
Miner

And that would be a beasty rotation.

Thursday, October 2, 2008
Tigers
Tigers' bullpen coach got bad news directly
Jones went into office of Leyland last week, and manager delivered the word of termination.
Lynn Henning / The Detroit News

DETROIT -- Jeff Jones got the word Thursday morning, a few hours before the Tigers and Tampa Bay were to play an afternoon game at Comerica Park.

He knocked on the door of manager Jim Leyland's office and popped in for a conversation that might have been little different from any other pregame chat between the Tigers manager and his bullpen coach. One question ensured that this day would be anything but routine.

"Am I gonna have a job next year?" Jones asked Leyland.

Leyland decided to give it to Jones straight. He would not wait until after the season to deliver the news, as would have been preferred by Leyland's boss, president and general manager Dave Dombrowski.

"He told me right then," Jones said Wednesday, speaking by telephone from the new home he had just purchased in Carleton, Mich., not far from his birthplace of Southgate. "The skipper is such an honest guy that he had to level with me.

"He said they (the Tigers) wanted to keep me in the organization, although he wasn't sure what capacity it would be at this point."

Jones kept the information to himself and stoically went about his duties for the remainder of the Tigers' final five games. It was apparent to Jones his cohort, pitching coach Chuck Hernandez, also would be dismissed. But Jones said nothing. Hernandez got the word Sunday morning ahead of the home season's last game at Comerica Park.

Both men made the trek to Chicago for Monday's makeup game that helped put the White Sox into the playoffs. Each man did his job as if nothing had happened, as if they were returning along with Leyland and the rest of the Tigers coaching staff that became part of a disastrous season.

A last-place finish, a 74-88 record and Detroit's place as the third-worst pitching team in the American League, instead doomed Hernandez and Jones.

"It's been very difficult," said Jones, a one-time Athletics pitcher and Tigers minor league pitching coach. "I can't say I didn't foresee it coming because our pitching was so poor this year. I think we all took responsibility for what happened, and I'll take my share."

Jones, 52, was working in his fifth stretch as bullpen coach, someone who supervises relief pitchers during games and monitors their work schedules. His role is more administrative than it tends to be a hands-on coaching function.

But it made little difference in the club's final analysis, any more than a rash of physical breakdowns to the staff (Jeremy Bonderman, Joel Zumaya, and earlier in the season to Fernando Rodney) could compensate for a team's pitching nightmare. The failure of starters Dontrelle Willis and Nate Robertson were other contributors, although the Tigers have never laid blame at the feet of Leyland or his coaches.

"I felt bad about the season we had, because we all had tremendous expectations," said Jones, who pitched at Southgate High and at Bowling Green before he was drafted by Oakland, in the 13th round in 1977. "Most coaches and players are pretty realistic in knowing that you have to win on the field. It doesn't matter what you look like on paper. You have to win on the field.

"Unfortunately, for a number of reasons, we didn't do that," Jones said, "and pitching was a major part of it. From that standpoint, I understand what happened."

Jones has been offered an unspecified position within the Tigers organization. He said Wednesday he likely would accept Dombrowski's offer to stay with the club.

"I care about this organization a great deal, I always have," Jones said. "I'm not going to say it (the firing) doesn't hurt, because it does -- it hurts greatly. But we've got to move forward. I still believe in this organization."

You can reach Lynn Henning at lynn.henning@detnews.com

Despite recent firings, ex-Tiger coaches Hernandez and Jones not bitter

BY JOHN LOWE • FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER • October 3, 2008

The Tigers have mattered a lot to Jeff Jones for at least 40 years.

They have mattered since that day in October 1968, when he and his sixth-grade classmates convinced their teacher to bring a television into their classroom at Chormann Elementary School in Southgate so they could watch Game 7 of the Tigers-Cardinals World Series.

Chuck Hernandez has such a strong reputation as a pitching coach that within hours of being let go by the Tigers on Sunday, he'd already received job-feeler phone calls from two other clubs.

In telephone interviews Thursday, Jones and Hernandez looked ahead. Neither expressed bitterness over his firing this week by the Tigers -- Hernandez after three seasons as pitching coach, Jones after two seasons as bullpen coach.

Jones, the Carleton resident who has been a coach in the majors or minors with the Tigers since 1989, said he is very interested in the so-far-unspecified job he has been offered to remain in the Tigers organization.

"I've always had a tremendous amount of respect for Dave Dombrowski and I always will," Jones said of the Tigers president and general manager. "I really want to see the Tigers back on top. I have always loved the organization. It's always been special to me to be here. It will continue to be special to be part of the organization."

Hernandez has been a pitching coach in the majors or minors for the past 24 seasons. "I'm just going to reflect on the good things that happened while I was in Detroit," Hernandez said. "I'm up for the change and looking forward to new days and brighter and better days."

The Tigers pitching staff went from having the league's best ERA in his first season (2006) to the third-highest this season.

"Every season is not created equal," Hernandez said. "The one year we were hoping to get better, and we wound up in the World Series. When we expected to get to the World Series, we didn't play very well.

"That's so like baseball, it's not even funny."

Jones acknowledged how this year's relievers generally didn't cope well with the role changes caused by the injuries to Joel Zumaya, Fernando Rodney and Todd Jones. Those three were the heart of the bullpen in '06.

But Jones said, "I take full responsibility for what went on. I feel terrible about the way the season went."

He sounded like a man who has cared about the Tigers for 40 years.

Contact JOHN LOWE at 313-223-4053 or jlowe@freepress.com. Check out his Tigers blog at www.freep.com/sports

I wish they would start announcing some stuff, team changes and all that...

Dombrowski looks to fix what's wrong with Tigers
by Steve Kornacki
Sunday October 05, 2008, 12:30 AM

Dave Dombrowski has been a general manager longer than any American League counterpart. He has built and rebuilt teams for 20 years, developing a reputation as one of the foremost baseball team architects.

He turned the Montreal Expos into winners as the boy GM, took the Florida Marlins to a World Series championship in 1997, and transformed the 119-loss Detroit Tigers of 2003 into the American League champions of 2006.

Everything he did was golden ... until this year.

Dombrowski, 51, put together a team that was the envy of baseball. He spent $138 million on a club many speculated would be one of the greatest offensive forces the game had ever seen. A World Series return was fully expected.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the Fall Classic, as nearly every major move Dombrowski made in the off-season backfired:.

• Shortstop Edgar Renteria, obtained from Atlanta, had a so-so offensive season and struggled defensively. Jair Jurrjens (13-10, 4.12 ERA) had a very good year for the Braves and outfielder Gorkys Hernandez was invited to the Futures Game for baseball's top prospects.

"We gave up a lot for him," Dombrowski said. "But we felt he had the ability to make the difference for us. We were wrong."

Dombrowski said he didn't have the range at short, but said that with Brandon Inge back at third that could lessen his inability to reach grounders. Renteria's $12 million contract for next year will be bought out for $3 million and he could come back at a lower price.

• Left fielder Jacque Jones came from the Chicago Cubs for infielder Omar Infante, and was so bad that he was let go in April. Dombrowski said he thought the strong second half Jones had in 2007 was an indicator that he would make a difference.

• First baseman Miguel Cabrera and pitcher Dontrelle Willis came from the Marlins for six players, including two key prospects, pitcher Andrew Miller and outfielder Cameron Maybin. The only player who flourished was Cabrera, who led the American League with 37 homers and had 127 RBIs, but Willis' control problems were a key failing. He didn't win a game and spent nearly three months in the minors in search of his control.

"I don't know that anybody could have predicted this," said Dombrowski of Willis, whom he signed to a three-year, $29 million contract extension. "Apparently, it was a bad decision, a decision that has not worked out so far."

• Picking up Armando Galarraga (13-7, 3.73), who led all American League rookies in wins, came in a minor league deal for outfielder Michael Hernandez. It was barely a note prior to spring training, but ended up being a great acquisition. He, in essence, replaced what Jurrjens took to Atlanta.

And so Dombrowski has to recover his magic touch after hitting a big chuck hole in the road to the postseason.

"No. 1, we have to improve our pitching," Dombrowski said, "and our bullpen for sure. And we have to improve our defense."

Kenny Rogers, a winner of 219 big league games and Detroit's 2006 post-season hero, tailed off at the end of the season but remains a possibility. Rogers, 43, said the Tigers are the only team he wants to play for if he doesn't retire. Dombrowski said he plans to talk with Rogers when his mind is made up.

"We have to make some decisions where we go to put dollars," Dombrowski said. "But we're not looking to reduce (the payroll) significantly."

He said catcher and shortstop are the biggest questions marks. But he might go with Ramon Santiago at shortstop until prospect Cale Iorg is ready, and could end up obtaining a veteran left-handed hitter to platoon with rookie catcher Dusty Ryan.

Dombrowski currently expects the rotation to be Justin Verlander ("We've got to get Justin Verlander to be Justin Verlander."), Galarraga, Zach Miner and Jeremy Bonderman, returning from surgery. He said the fifth starter will come from the pool of Willis, Nate Robertson and free agent Freddy Garcia.

They aren't likely to pursue the big-time free agent pitchers like CC Sabathia or A.J. Burnett, and Dombrowski all but ruled out pursuing closer Francisco Rodriguez. But they might go after Colorado closer Brian Fuentes or a starter such as Derek Lowe of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who grew up in Dearborn.

"We don't need an All-Star at every position," said Dombrowski, who is looking for players who fit a role, guys who have intangibles.

Joe Torre said getting third baseman Casey Blake from the Indians sparked his Dodgers. And that is what Dombrowski will be beating the bushes for -- a guy who becomes glue. Maybe a free agent shortstop like David Eckstein, who was the World Series MVP for St. Louis against Detroit in 2006, would be a fit.

"I'm my own harshest critic about what happened last year," Dombrowski said. "Now, what we've got to do is go out and fix it."

I wouldnt mind getting Lowe at all, hes got a nice lookin sinker. and Eckstein, eh I dont know. Taking a risk there.

JON PAUL MOROSI'S BLOG
Tigers deny Seattle's request to interview Avila for GM job

By JON PAUL MOROSI • FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER • October 14, 2008

Editor's note: This story was updated at 11:30 p.m.

Five years ago, Al Avila was a finalist to become general manager of the Seattle Mariners.

The Mariners are currently in the midst of another GM search, but Avila, the Tigers’ assistant general manager, will not be interviewed this time. Seattle team president Chuck Armstrong said through a Mariners spokesman on Tuesday that the Tigers have denied his request to speak with Avila.

Avila is under contract with the Tigers for next season, so the consent of team owner Mike Ilitch was needed before he could become a candidate. It’s not clear why Avila was allowed to interview in 2003 but not in 2008, but it’s possible that his contractual terms changed when he signed a multiyear extension in 2006.

Tigers president and general manager Dave Dombrowski declined to say why permission was not granted. But he added: “Al is very happy in the Tigers organization.” Avila, who ranks second to Dombrowski in the team’s baseball operations hierarchy, has been with Detroit since 2002. He has responsibilities with the major-league roster, player development and scouting. He also interviewed for past GM openings in Arizona, Baltimore and Cincinnati.

Avila could not be reached for comment on Tuesday. When asked about the Seattle opening in June, he said, “I’m very happy here (in Detroit). I’d love to spend my career here. But anybody in my position would have to consider that kind of opportunity.”

Avila’s son, Alex, was the Tigers’ fifth-round pick in this year’s amateur draft. Alex Avila, a catcher, batted .305 with one home run and 22 RBIs in 58 games at Class A West Michigan this season.

Tigers hire Pacific Rim scouting coordinator

The Tigers announced Tuesday that they have hired Kevin Hooker as their scouting coordinator for the Pacific Rim. Hooker, who spent the past seven seasons as a scout with the Philadelphia Phillies, will oversee the team’s player evaluations in Asia and Australia.

Al Avila happy where he's at in Detroit: 'I’m committed to bringing a championship back here'

By JON PAUL MOROSI • FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER • October 16, 2008

Al Avila reiterated on Wednesday that he remains happy with his role as the Tigers’ assistant general manager, one day after it was learned that the team denied the Seattle Mariners’ request to interview him for their GM vacancy.

Avila said he spoke with team president and general manager Dave Dombrowski about his status even before the Mariners called to ask for permission. At that point, Avila and the team committed to maintaining a long-term relationship.

“I love it here,” Avila said in a telephone interview. “I’m committed to bringing a championship back here. This is where I want to be.

“I could spend the rest of my career here and be very happy.”

Avila was previously permitted to interview for GM jobs in Arizona, Baltimore, Cincinnati and Seattle. But his contractual terms changed when he signed a multiyear extension after the Tigers reached the World Series in 2006.

That contract was scheduled to expire in 2009. Dombrowski said Wednesday that Avila has since signed an extension through the 2011 season.

“I still have the ambition to be a GM one day,” Avila said. “It’s the highest honor you can have in this game. At the same time, I’m happy here. I’m committed to the Tigers. We have the right thing going to bring back a championship. That’s how we ended up making that decision.”

Avila is currently attending the Tigers’ annual meetings in Lakeland, Fla., where club officials are evaluating talent within the organization after one of the most disappointing seasons in team history.

In recent days, Avila has watched instructional league games involving the Tigers’ younger prospects. And he has been impressed.

“This is probably the best collection of pitching prospects we’ve had in my time in Detroit,” he said.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Tigers' needs are plenty
But filling holes will prove tricky
Lynn Henning / The Detroit News

Settling on a shopping list is the easy task for the Tigers heading into what will be a significant, if not dramatic, offseason.

Finding bullpen help. Acquiring a shortstop. Bringing on a catcher. Dave Dombrowski, the Tigers president and general manager, could have had his bleacher crowd draw up a priority list obvious to anybody who followed the Tigers in 2008.

Getting the necessary help is another matter. What kind of beef can the Tigers expect to add when they have few players who can realistically be traded and when their payroll is likely tapped out?

The Tigers could begin as quickly as the World Series ends to make moves as they re-shape their roster. Dombrowski, though, implied Monday that nothing will happen soon.

"I'm not sure if we will make any personnel announcements after the World Series," he said. "Much of it's dependent on when we decide on our bullpen coach."

The Tigers likely will make a decision this week on who replaces Jeff Jones as bullpen coach. A leading candidate is Mike Rojas, who was a well-regarded manager at Triple-A Toledo (filling in for Larry Parrish, who had knee surgery) before he became the club's minor league field coordinator.

Rojas is the son of former big league infielder Cookie Rojas and was a minor league catcher for the A's and Blue Jays in the 1980s.

Rick Knapp, the former Twins minor league pitching instructor, already has been hired as manager Jim Leyland's new pitching coach, replacing fired Chuck Hernandez.

Next on Dombrowski's menu will be filling roster holes and shoring up soft spots, which almost certainly will begin with the bullpen. Dombrowski typically moves fast during the offseason. That might not be the case this autumn, based on Monday's forecast.

"In regard to player moves with other clubs, you never know about that," he said. "Right now, we don't have anything close to being done."

Shopping days

The timetable could change at next week's general managers meetings, by which time the Tigers will have wrapped up this week's internal meetings at Comerica Park. The club is sizing up personnel from other big league teams as the Tigers put together a wish list.

A critical question is whether the team can expect to achieve anything other than payroll relief if it trades Magglio Ordonez. The Tigers aren't in favor of trading a career .312 hitter on Ordonez's level, particularly one who consistently hits good pitching. Ordonez would leave a serious hole in a batting order that could be further strapped if Detroit, as expected, settles on a new shortstop known more for his defense than for his hitting.

Ordonez, however, will turn 35 in January and stands to pull $48 million during the final three years of his contract. The Tigers are staring at a potentially tough year at the box office and might need to consider trading Ordonez even if little is obtained in return.

A more realistic possibility is the Tigers would agree to absorb some of Ordonez's remaining money if they could gain a reliever, shortstop or catcher in return.

It isn't likely to be an inviting decision, either way, for the Tigers.

The Tigers already have said they won't pick up an $11 million option on shortstop Edgar Renteria, though they haven't ruled out signing him to a lesser deal (his $3 million buyout would be included).

It is virtually certain they will not have interest in three relief pitchers who will be free agents: Kyle Farnsworth, Casey Fossum and Gary Glover. Nor are they apt to offer salary arbitration to either, given that none figures to finish as high as a Type B free agent (Elias Sports Bureau's rankings have not yet been released) -- that would earn the Tigers a high 2009 draft choice if they offered arbitration and the pitcher signed elsewhere.

Who's out there?

Attractive free agents who would fit any of the Tigers' needs are likely to be overly expensive or would cost the Tigers an early draft pick next year. Exhibit A there is Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek, a likely Type A free agent who would be a plausible answer to Detroit's need for a veteran catcher to assist likely starter Dusty Ryan.

Signing a Type A free agent can cost an acquiring team a first-round draft pick. But because the Tigers will be among the first 15 teams to draft in 2009 -- they will have the ninth overall selection -- they do not lose a first-round pick on a Type A acquisition. They instead would lose their second-round choice.

It's a scenario that could yet play out if the Tigers are able to dip into the free-agent pool to help their bullpen, although money would be the greater issue there. Money, too -- more than lost draft picks -- could make obtaining a free-agent shortstop (neither Rafael Furcal nor Cesar Izturis is likely to be even a Type B) difficult for a Tigers team that likely will be cutting, rather than adding, payroll.

Some moves deeper in the organization already have been made as the Tigers gear up for next year.

A number of minor leaguers, some well-regarded at one time, have been released, among them: pitchers Danny Zell, P.J. Finigan, Angel Castro, Derek Witt, and Kelvin Cedano; outfielders Cory Middleton and Justin Justice; and catcher Hayden Parrott.

You can reach Lynn Henning at lynn.henning@detnews.com

10/28/08 4:29 PM ET
Red Sox claim Vasquez off waivers
Right-hander's departure opens spot on Tigers' 40-man roster

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

DETROIT -- The first player move of what should be a busy offseason for the Tigers was a smaller one Tuesday. Right-hander Virgil Vasquez, who did not pitch at all in Detroit in 2008 after serving as a spot starter a year earlier, was claimed on waivers by the Red Sox.

The Tigers had placed Vasquez, 26, on outright waivers to remove him from its 40-man roster. Those waivers are irrevocable, allowing any team to immediately claim a player as long as the club has room for him on their 40-man roster. Had Vasquez gone unclaimed, he would've been outrighted to Triple-A Toledo, where he spent most of the last two seasons as part of the Mud Hens rotation.

The move to the Red Sox organization arguably gives Vasquez a fresh start. He went 12-12 with a 4.81 ERA in 27 games with the Hens, all of them starts, while allowing 179 hits over 159 innings with 37 walks and 115 strikeouts. His home run total rose from 18 in 2007 to 27 in '08, while opponents' batting average rose from .241 to .283 in the same span.

Those struggles left him out of the Tigers' plans when they needed starting help at various times over the season. Though Vasquez was on the 40-man roster all year, Detroit purchased the contracts of Armando Galarraga, Eddie Bonine and Chris Lambert to fill in for injured starters. Vasquez was not called up when rosters expanded in September.

A year earlier, Vasquez's ability to pitch for outs and keep hitters off balance led the former seventh-round Draft pick from UC-Santa Barbara up the development ladder and all the way to Detroit for three spot starts and a September stint in the bullpen. He made his Major League debut on national television in a Sunday night game against the Twins at the Metrodome and took the loss, but recovered to post a 12-5 record and 3.48 ERA in 25 starts for the Mud Hens, including two complete-game shutouts.

Tuesday's move leaves the Tigers' 40-man roster at 39 players. That does not include Jeremy Bonderman, Joel Zumaya and Vance Wilson, all of whom ended the season on the 60-day disabled list. They'll be added back on, but the Tigers will get more room when closer Todd Jones' retirement takes effect and Wilson, Edgar Renteria and Kenny Rogers are expected to file for free agency.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

10/20/08 - TigsTown

Released Hayden Parrott (OF)

Released Cory Middleton (OF)

Released Justin Justice (OF)

Released Dario Carvajal (RHP)

Released Brandon Harrigan (C)

Released Hayden Lackey (RHP)

Released Santo Mieses (RHP)

Released Kyle Pearson (RHP) - received in trade with Pirates for Denny Batista!

Released Carlos Ramirez (1B/3B)

Released PJ Finigan (RHP)

Released Zach Piccola (LHP)

Released Kelvin Cedano (RHP)

Released Angel Castro (RHP)

Released Danny Zell (LHP)

Released Derek Witt (RHP)

Analysis: A few surprises among these moves, including Parrott, Justice, and Castro. Justice was coming off a fine season at High-A Lakeland, but he was repeating the level, and in the past there have been rumblings of off-field issues that needed to be straightened out. Parrott's release comes on the heels of yet another disappointing season at the plate. His offensive progression has stagnated, and he hasn't taken to any position defensively. Castro's departure is not surprising given his age and lack of development, but given the promise and control he has showed in the past, one might have thought he'd get one more season to put it together.

Posted by: Mark, 10/20/08 at TigsTown.

changes updated in post above

Saturday, January 31, 2009
Tigers could trade a starter or two
With seven healthy pitchers, Dombrowski says recently there are 'possibilities' for deals.
Lynn Henning / The Detroit News

What would have been considered laughable not long ago, what still is regarded as fantasy by some fans, made for a moment of serious discussion one week ago at Comerica Park.

Dave Dombrowski, the Tigers president and general manager, was reading off a list of potential Tigers starters for 2009 as he spoke during WXYT radio's coverage of TigerFest.

Down the line Dombrowski went: Justin Verlander, Jeremy Bonderman, Armando Galarraga, Edwin Jackson, Nate Robertson, Dontrelle Willis, Zach Miner.

"There are seven starters right there," Dombrowski said, adding the kicker:

"Trade possibilities come up."

The idea that a team that had chronic pitching problems in 2008 would be trading bulwark starters at any point in 2009 is a knee-slapper, all right. It's only plausible if health and comebacks give the Tigers a surplus of starting pitching they could, conceivably, trade by the end of spring training.

And yet health and comebacks, while big "ifs," are by no means stretches.

Verlander is expected to return to 2006-07 form for the simple reason he is physically fine and still showed his old arsenal of power pitches during a mystifying 2008 season in which he went 11-17.

Bonderman is back from thoracic surgery that shows signs of freeing his motion to throw his old, 97-mph fastball and hard slider.

Galarraga was last season's surprise. He should avoid any sophomore slumps in the view of new Tigers pitching coach Rick Knapp.

Robertson is lighter and more nimble after a winter of re-conditioning and Pilates designed to restore his old flexibility. Willis, meanwhile, has been "looking really good" during early work at Lakeland, Fla., Knapp said.

As for Miner, last year he walked almost half as many men as a starter than as a reliever. His strings of quality starts during 2006 and '08 were marred only by a couple of late-season falloffs that, combined with the Tigers' bullpen questions, have left him in 2009 as a necessary swing man with the ability to start or relieve.

Reasonable questions exist, to be sure, two weeks before spring camp opens for pitchers and catchers at Lakeland.

Willis probably tops the list. A left-handed pitcher whose numbers had been declining during his latter years with the Florida Marlins hit the wall last season in his first months as a Tigers starter.

He pitched only 24 innings for the Tigers and walked a staggering 35 batters. He allowed 18 hits and struck out 18. Willis, now 27, was a mechanical and psychological mess when he mercifully was sent to Lakeland in June to begin a ground-up reconstruction.

After reporting to spring training last year significantly above his recommended playing weight, Willis joined in a stricter offseason conditioning program that reportedly has trimmed pounds and opened the door in 2009 to better mechanics.

Willis looms as Knapp's No. 1 project. Early observations at least made Knapp feel better about where Willis might be headed in '09.

"I was impressed with some of the things he did," Knapp said, after watching Willis throw during a pre-camp session at Lakeland two weeks ago. "He looked really good.

"I didn't coach him any. I didn't have to say anything to him. His delivery looked fine. And his body was in phenomenal shape.

"I just realized how big he is," Knapp said of Willis, who is listed at 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, but whose weight was likely well beyond that in 2008. "He's a big guy.

"Hopefully, we'll keep him in that positive mind-set and roll with that."

Knapp's other projects are no less important.

Verlander's alignment appeared to be out of sync last season as he struggled to locate his high-90s fastball, his curveball and change-up. The Tigers continue to believe Verlander had quality "stuff" -- the all-encompassing term for velocity, rotation and movement of pitches.

But it was mostly because of Verlander's and Robertson's baffling falloffs that former pitching coach Chuck Hernandez was fired at the end of 2008. Knapp's job is to help Robertson find the old, sharp-breaking slider that was his trademark pitch during 2004-06 seasons when he averaged 200 innings for the Tigers.

In 2006, Robertson had a career-best 3.84 ERA. Last season, his ERA skied to 6.35 in 168 innings.

As with Willis, Robertson also was judged to be too heavy in 2008, which the Tigers training staff believes brought on flexibility problems that softened Robertson's slider.

Knapp agreed.

"When you're carrying a bit more weight, it's harder for you to maintain leverage," he said. "So, instead of being strong on your legs, you end up drifting through pitches. And when you start to drift through pitches, your arm drags and your arm becomes more horizontal."

Robertson has dropped about 12 pounds from last year's 240-pound frame. He expects to shed at least three more pounds heading into spring camp.

Whether it proves to be the solution to his 2008 headaches is not yet known. But in time, the Tigers will see what conditioning and a different coaching voice might achieve in '09.

You can reach Lynn Henning at lynn.henning@detnews.com