Tigers Winter Meetings checklist

The Tigers are never truly quiet at baseball's annual Winter Meetings. They always listen to interest from other teams and usually end up throwing out some offers of their own. Compared to past years, however, this year's meetings still have the chance to go down as relatively subdued. They don't see a lot of remaining needs, their free-agent options aren't numerous, and their available trade bait diminished as soon as they pulled a deal for All-Star shortstop Edgar Renteria and sent Omar Infante off to Chicago for Jacque Jones.

President/general manager Dave Dombrowski sees the positional roster as pretty much set, leaving only the arbitration signings of Marcus Thames and Timo Perez to address on that end. If the Tigers do anything in Nashville, it's likely to come on the pitching staff, where they need relief help and one more starter any way they can get them.

To get your fix of Winter Meetings updates, check in with MLB.com and Tigers.com regularly. We'll bring you the news as it happens from Nashville, Tenn.

2007 finish: 88-74, second place, AL Central

Deals so far: Acquired SS Renteria from the Braves for RHP Jair Jurrjens and outfielder Gorkys Hernandez; acquired OF Jones from the Cubs for IF Infante; re-signed RHP Todd Jones to a one-year, $7 million contract.

Players eligible for arbitration: LHP Tim Byrdak, RHP Chad Durbin, OF Perez, LHP Nate Robertson, LHP Bobby Seay, OF Thames.

Free agents: LHP Kenny Rogers, 1B Sean Casey.

Needs: The first priority is starting pitching, but progress in talks with Rogers could take care of that before long. If that happens, the one remaining void is in the bullpen, where Joel Zumaya's right shoulder injury has left a void in the setup department for at least the first half of next season. One more reliever would, at the very least, avoid overreliance and overwork on Fernando Rodney.

Dealing strengths: The Renteria deal sapped the Tigers of some depth in trading pieces from their farm system, especially with Jurrjens now subtracted from the starting pitching corps. They have some interesting pitchers they could dangle, including Dallas Trahern, Eulogio De La Cruz and Burke Badenhop, but they have to keep some arms as insurance in case someone in Detroit's rotation is injured. They have a little surplus in the middle infield with Michael Hollimon, Brent Dlugach and Scott Sizemore, but none of them would be expected to draw much on their own as opposed to being a secondary part of a package deal.

Verlander, Bonderman, Robertson + 1 more = 4 starters. Don't the Tigers usually have a 5 man rotation?

This is what I've been saying!!

Two starters needed. I would HATE to count on Miller, Durbin, Miner for that #5 spot.
Miller to Erie, Durbin and Miner in the pen.

I would rather just get Maroth back!!

We can ALWAYS dump Grilli. No harm, no foul!!

I'd take Maroth back too!

SoulRat wrote:

I'd take Maroth back too!

Oh, so that's the lefty!

bobrob2004 wrote:

SoulRat wrote:

I'd take Maroth back too!

Oh, so that's the lefty!

Wait, wrong thread...

bobrob2004 wrote:

bobrob2004 wrote:

SoulRat wrote:

I'd take Maroth back too!

Oh, so that's the lefty!

Wait, wrong thread...

42 degrees outside!

bobrob2004 wrote:

bobrob2004 wrote:

bobrob2004 wrote:

SoulRat wrote:

I'd take Maroth back too!

Oh, so that's the lefty!

Wait, wrong thread...

42 degrees outside!

But you are getting warmer........