36 year old righty swinging Ivan Rodriguez will be the Tigers starting catcher in 2008 but he’s starting to wear done at his advanced age. It also could be the fact that he appears to be playing clean which might not have been the case earlier in his career when he had super sized biceps. The skinnier version of Rodriguez played in 129 games last season for the Tigers and he was 141 for 502 (.281 avg, .714 OPS) with 50 runs scored, 11 homers and 63 RBIs. His throwing also wasn’t quite up to his standards last season as he threw out 29% of the runners that attempted to steal off of him. Look for the Tigers to continue getting I-Rod more off days this season to attempt to keep him fresh.

35-year old righty swinging Vance Wilson missed all of last season due to injury. He has played with the Tigers for two years having one good season and one awful one. Wilson has played in 117 games with the Tigers over his last two seasons and he is 73 for 304 (.240 avg) with 36 runs scored, 8 homers and 37 RBIs. If his arm is o.k. he likely will do a solid job for the Tigers.

As of right now the Tigers are trying to trade Brandon Inge. He has brought his catchers’ equipment with him to spring training as he will do anything he can to get on the baseball field after the Tigers replaced him at 3B with Miguel Cabrera. The 31-year old played in 151 games last season for the Tigers and he was 120 for 508 (.236 avg, .688 OPS) with 64 runs scored, 14 homers and 71 RBIs. He also whiffed an amazing 150 times.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: C+

The Tigers wanted more firepower for the lineup and they certainly loaded up. The trade the Tigers made with the Marlins to bring in Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis was the best trade in the majors this off season as it makes the Tigers one of the favorites to win the American League. Miguel Cabrera could put up numbers like Alex Rodriguez did last season as he will benefit from not playing home games in the gigantic Dolphins Field. Look for Cabrera to hit .320-.340 with 40+ homers and 130+ RBIs in this lineup. Adding Edgar Renteria from the Braves really helps the Tigers as it will improve both their offense and defense. Renteria will replace Carlos Guillen who will move to first base which should keep him healthy enough to play in 150+ games. The Tigers also added lefty swinging Jacque Jones to platoon with righty swinging Marcus Thames in left field. Jones + Thames together should provide monster power numbers for the Tigers this season. Look for Dontrelle Willis to rebound in MoTown as he seemed to lose focus playing on a bad Florida team last season. Jim Leyland will keep on Willis’ back to keep him motivated this season. Re-signing Kenny Rogers was also a good move as the Tigers starting rotation looks loaded for 2008.

OFF SEASON GRADE FOR THE FRONT OFFICE: A

The Tigers have acquired 26 year old righty Armando Galarraga from the Rangers for outfielder Michael Hernandez. Galarraga will compete for a job in the Tigers bullpen in spring training. Galarraga pitched in 3 games (1 start) last season for the Rangers and he was 0-0 with a 6.23 ERA and a 1.73 WHIP. Galarraga also pitched in 27 games (26 starts) in AA+AAA ball this season and he was 11-8 with a 4.14 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. This was a good move for the Tigers who need bullpen help.

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The Tigers have released 25-year old shortstop Tony Giarratano. This is a shame because he was once one of the Tigers’ best prospects before he tore up his throwing shoulder last season. He last played in the majors in 2005 with the Tigers. Giarratano has played in 15 games in his major league career and he is 6 for 42 (.143 avg, .448 OPS) with 4 runs scored, 1 homer and 4 RBIs.