Chad Durbin did a solid job last season in filling in for injuries on the Tigers pitching staff but the Tigers didn’t feel like he warranted a roster spot for the 2008 season so they did not tender him a contract making him a free agent. Durbin pitched in 36 games last season for the Tigers and he was 8-7 with 1 save, a 4.72 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP. Durbin has now pitched in 114 games in his major league career and he is 25-37 with 1 save, a 5.75 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP. He should have no problem finding a team willing to take a chance on him.

With the blockbuster trade with the Marlins leaving the Tigers short in center field they traded Chris Shelton to the Rangers for outfielder Freddy Guzman. The 26 year old switch hitting Guzman is a center fielder with speed. He played in 8 games last season for the Rangers and he was 1 for 6 (.167 avg, .834 OPS) with 2 runs scored, 1 homer and 1 RBI. He has now played in 37 games in his major league career and he is 19 for 89 (.213 avg, .544 OPS) with 11 runs scored, 1 homer, 6 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. It was a good move by the Tigers to get something for Shelton that could help them in the future.

The Tigers have acquired 27 year old righty Denny Bautista from the Rockies for Jose Capellan. Bautista had a rough time for the Rockies last season as he pitched in 9 games (1 start) and he was 2-1 with a 12.46 ERA and a 2.54 WHIP. He has now pitched in 35 games (21 starts) in his major league career and he is 4-10 with a 6.93 ERA and a 1.73 WHIP. The Tigers basically wanted some depth for the rotation and Bautista should be able to provide that.

The Tigers have acquired 3B Miguel Cabrera and lefty starter Dontrelle Willis from the Marlins for OF Cameron Maybin, catcher Mike Rabelo and pitchers Andrew Miller, Dallas Trahern, Eulogio De La Cruz and Burke Badenhop. In essence the Tigers will now be an All-Star team next season. Miguel Cabrera is not even near his prime yet as he is only 24 years old! Cabrera played in 157 games last season for the Marlins and he was 188 for 588 (.320 avg, .966 OPS) with 91 runs scored, 34 homers and 119 RBIs. He has now played in 720 games in his major league career and he is 842 of 2,694 (.313 avg, .930 OPS) with 449 runs scored, 138 homers and 523 RBIs. Dolphins Stadium is one of the bigger stadiums in baseball so look for Cabrera’s power numbers to improve. He will also likely be batting between Magglio Ordonez and Gary Sheffield which will ensure that he sees his fare share of fastballs. The sky is the limit with him. The “D-Train” Dontrelle Willis is coming off of his worst season in the majors but he’s only 25 and the Marlins losing could have effected him on the mound. Look for him to win a ton of games for the Tigers next season. Willis started 35 games last season for the Marlins and he was 10-15 with a 5.17 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP. He has now started 162 games in his major league career and he is 68-54 with a 3.78 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. He has now thrown 1022.2 innings in his major league career and he has allowed 1,046 hits, walked 344 batters and whiffed 757 batters. Look for Willis to rebound next season. This was a fantastic trade that will make the Tigers one of the best teams in the majors next season.

The Tigers gave 43-year old lefty Kenny Rogers a 1-year, $8 million dollar contract. Rogers only started 11 games last season for the Tigers due to a severe injury that required surgery. He was 3-4 with a 4.43 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP last season for the Tigers. Rogers has now pitched in 732 games (444 starts) in his major league career and he is 210-143 with 28 saves, a 4.19 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. This was a good move for the Tigers because they need Rogers’ veteran leadership for the young rotation. Cruceta hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2006 with Seattle. He has only pitched in 6 games (3 starts) in his major league career and he is 0-1 with a 10.05 ERA and a 2.09 WHIP. He has pitched 14.1 innings and he has allowed 20 hits, walked 10 batters and whiffed 11. He will have a hard time making the final roster.