The Tigers have signed 27-year old righty swinging 1B Jason Stokes to a minor league deal. Stokes has played in 459 games in his 7 years in the minors and he is 465 for 1,688 (.275 avg, .855 OPS) with 281 runs scored, 92 homers, 324 RBIs and 16 stolen bases. Stokes has whiffed 527 times in the minors so he will have to improve his plate discipline to get a chance with the Tigers at some point in 2010.

The Tigers have signed 28-year old lefty reliever/starter Phil Dumatrait to a minor league deal. Dumatrait pitched in 15 games (0 starts) for the Pirates last season and he was 0-2 with a 6.92 ERA and a 1.85 WHIP. He has now pitched in 42 games (17 starts) in his three years in the majors and he is 3-10 with a 7.06 ERA and a 1.82 WHIP. Dumatrait has allowed 134 hits and he has walked 65 batters in only 109 2/3 innings in his major league career so he will have to do some major improving before the Tigers should give him a chance.

The Tigers have designated 25-year old righty swinging catcher Dusty Ryan for assignment. Ryan played in 12 games for the Tigers last season and he was 4 for 26 (.154 avg, .459 OPS) with 1 run scored and 4 RBIs. He played 2 years for the Tigers appearing in 27 games in which he was 18 for 70 (.257 avg, .723 OPS) with 7 runs scored, 2 homers and 11 RBIs. With three catchers ahead of him on the depth chart (Gerald Laird, Alex Avila and Robinzon Diaz) it is probably better for Ryan to get a new start with a different organization.

UPDATE: The Tigers have traded Dusty Ryan to the Padres for either a player to be named later or cash.

The Tigers have designated 26-year old righty reliever Freddy Dolsi for assignment. Dolsi pitched in 6 games (0 starts) for the Tigers last year and he was 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA and a 1.59 WHIP. He pitched in 48 games (0 starts) in his two years with the Tigers and he was 2-5 with 2 saves, a 3.55 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP. The Tigers removed Dolsi from the roster to make room for the players they acquired in the Granderson/Jackson trade made earlier this week. Dolsi has potential so the Tigers should be able to get something for him in a trade.

UPDATE: The Tigers have lost Dolsi on waivers to the division rival Chicago White Sox and that could hurt them down the road.

The Tigers have re-signed 29-year old righty starting pitcher Ruddy Lugo. Lugo pitched in 25 games (all starts) for the Tigers’ AAA team last season and he was 13-9 with a 4.07 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP. He last pitched in the majors during the 2007 season with the Devil Rays and A’s. Lugo has pitched in 102 games (0 starts) in his major league career and he is 8-4 with a 4.39 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. It was a good move to bring back Lugo as he looked decent in AAA last season as he has converted from being a reliever to a starter. He might get a chance to pitch for the Tigers at some point in 2010.