The Tigers have signed 27-year old righty reliever Jon Huber to a minor league deal. Huber pitched in 52 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball last season for the Mariners and he was 4-3 with 6 saves, a 6.40 ERA and a 1.65 WHIP. He allowed a stunning 95 hits in only 70.1 innings last year. Huber has pitched in 25 games (0 starts) in his major league career and he is 2-1 with a 2.57 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. This was a good gamble for the Tigers who need some help in the bullpen.

25-year old righty swinging Miguel Cabrera is just entering his prime so look for him to put up huge numbers in 2009. Cabrera played in 160 games for the Tigers last season and he was 180 for 616 (.292 avg, .886 OPS) with 85 runs scored, 37 homers and 127 RBIs. He did have some problems adjusting to 1B defensively as he made 9 errors there in only 143 games. The Tigers hope he will improve on defense but they will tolerate it because of his lethal bat. Over the last five seasons, Cabrera has averaged 99 runs scored, 32.6 homers and 117.6 RBIs per year and he could easily eclipse those numbers in 2009 for the Tigers.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON: A+

The Tigers decided to go a new direction at catcher for the 2009 season. Adding Gerald Laird (trade) and Matt Treanor (free agent) will allow Brandon Inge to return to 3B making the defense a lot better. 29-year old righty swinging Gerald Laird played in 95 games for the Rangers last season and he was 95 for 344 (.276 avg, .727 OPS) with 54 runs scored, 6 homers and 41 RBIs. Laird threw out 20 of 73 (27%) basestealers last season but Rangers’ pitchers had a 5.21 ERA throwing to him. The Tigers have a better pitching staff than the Rangers did so look for that ERA to come way down in 2009.

32-year old righty swinging Matt Treanor isn’t much as a hitter but he is a decent defensive catcher. He played in 65 games for the Marlins last season and he was 49 for 206 (.238 avg, .607 OPS) with 18 runs scored, 2 homers and 23 RBIs. Marlins’ pitchers had a 4.61 ERA with Treanor behind the plate and he threw out 12 of 56 (21%) basestealers. Treanor should be a asset to the pitching staff in 2009 for the Tigers.

24-year old righty swinging Dusty Ryan will likely start the season in AAA and get a call if either Laird or Treanor are injured. Ryan played in 15 games for the Tigers last season and he was 14 for 44 (.318 avg, .880 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 2 homers and 7 RBIs. Ryan did throw out 4 of 11 (36%) basestealers last season in the majors, but, Tigers’ pitchers had a 6.11 ERA throwing to him and that just won’t get it done. Ryan also played in 102 games in AA + AAA ball last season and he was 98 for 369 (.266 avg, .837 OPS) with 58 runs scored, 17 homers and 63 RBIs.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON: C-

The Tigers have signed 28-year old righty Ruddy Lugo to a minor league deal. Lugo pitched in 24 games (all starts) last season in AAA-ball and he was 7-12 with a 5.36 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. He has now pitched in 102 games (0 starts) in his major league career to date and he is 8-4 with a 4.39 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. Lugo has more than enough potential to make the Tigers’ bullpen out of spring training so it will be interesting to see if he steps up or not.

The Tigers didn’t make a huge splash this off season but they made some solid moves that should make them a better team in 2009. The most important move the Tigers made was a trade they made with the Rangers to acquire Gerald Laird to start at catcher. The Tigers also signed Matt Treanor to back up Laird which will cause a chain reaction. Brandon Inge will move back to 3B with Carlos Guillen moving to LF. The Tigers also signed Adam Everett to a 1-year contract to start at shortstop. This will really improve the infield defense in 2009. The Tigers traded outfielder Matt Joyce to the Rays for starting pitcher Edwin Jackson. Jackson will likely slide right into the #4 job for the Tigers this season and he has a nice upside based on his electric arm. The Tigers then signed righty reliever Brandon Lyon to battle Fernando Rodney for the closer’s job in spring training. The Tigers also signed veteran righties Juan Rincon and Scott Williamson to battle for spots in the bullpen.

OFF SEASON GRADE FOR THE TIGERS: C