The Tigers have re-signed 32-year old switch-hitting infielder Ramon Santiago to a 2-year deal. Santiago played in 101 games for the Tigers last year and he was 67 for 258 (.260 avg, .695 OPS) with 29 runs scored, 5 homers and 30 RBIs. He has now played in 672 games in his first 10 years in the majors and he is 455 of 1,824 (.249 avg, .658 OPS) with 229 runs scored, 25 homers, 166 RBIs and 27 stolen bases. This was a smart move for the Tigers as Santiago has been a really valuable reserve for them in the past.

32-year old switch-hitting DH/C/1B Victor Martinez finished tied for 16th with Ben Zobrist and James Shields of the Rays for the MVP Award. Martinez played in 145 games for the Tigers last year and he was 178 for 540 (.330 avg, .850 OPS) with 76 runs scored, 12 homers, 103 RBIs and 1 stolen base. He has now played in 1,149 games in his first 10 years in the majors and he is 1,298 of 4,279 (.303 avg, .840 OPS) with 585 runs scored, 143 homers, 741 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. Martinez has the perfect spot in the lineup, right behind Miguel Cabrera, to continue putting up huge numbers.

24-year old lefty swinging catcher Alex Avila finished 12th in the voting for the A.L. MVP Award today. Avila played in 141 games for the Tigers last year and he was 137 for 464 (.295 avg, .895 OPS) with 63 runs scored, 19 homers, 82 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. He has now played in 274 games in his first three years in the majors and he is 221 of 819 (.270 avg, .815 OPS) with 100 runs scored, 31 homers, 127 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. Avila is a player on the rise for the Detroit Tigers.

28-year old righty swinging 1B Miguel Cabrera finished 5th in the voting for the A.L. MVP Award. Cabrera played in 161 games for the Tigers last year and he was 197 for 572 (.344 avg, 1.033 OPS) with 111 runs scored, 30 homers, 105 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. He has now played in 1,351 games in his first 9 years in the majors and he is 1,597 of 5,041 (.317 avg, .950 OPS) with 852 runs scored, 277 homers, 984 RBIs and 29 stolen bases. Cabrera won the batting title in the A.L. last year and he is going to win an MVP Award in the very near future.

The Tigers should look to tighten up a couple of weaknesses on the roster in free agency. Here is a trio I think they should look to sign:

1. Kelly Johnson - 2B has been really rough to fill for the Tigers the last couple of years. Lefty swinging Kelly Johnson has a lot of power and he likes to get dirty, so he would fit right in with the blue collar style of the Tigers.

2. Jason Marquis - The Tigers will look for another renovation project for the back end of the rotation and Marquis fits the bill. He also works late in games, helping save the bullpen.

3. Juan Cruz - The Tigers could use a guy to work early in games out of the pen. Cruz is the right kind of guy for the job as he still throws pretty hard.