The Tigers have released 34-year old righty swinging 3B Brandon Inge. Inge played in 9 games for the Tigers this year and he was 2 for 20 (.100 avg, .400 OPS) with 2 runs scored, 1 homer and 2 RBIs. Inge played in 1,408 games in his 12 years with the Tigers and he was 1,083 of 4,626 (.234 avg, .691 OPS) with 527 runs scored, 140 homers, 589 RBIs and 45 stolen bases. Inge is the Tigers’ all-time leader in striking out with 1,189 of them. This is not a big loss for the Tigers as the handwriting was on the wall back when they decided to move Miguel Cabrera to 3B over the winter. I do think that Inge will hook on with another team this year due to his versatility in the field.

The Tigers have acquired 30-year old righty reliever/starter Zach Miner from the Royals for cash considerations. Miner pitched in 23 games (11 starts) in AA+AAA-ball last year and he was 3-7 with 1 save, a 5.26 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP. Miner last pitched in the majors back in 2009 for the Tigers. Miner has pitched in 157 games (35 starts) in his first four years with the Tigers and he is 25-20 with 1 save, a 4.24 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. This was a good move for the Tigers as they will likely stash Miner in the minors.

The Tigers have designated 28-year old lefty swinging outfielder Clete Thomas for assignment. He played in 3 games for the Tigers this year and he was 0 for 0 with 1 run scored. Thomas played in 145 games in his three years with the Tigers and he was 99 of 391 (.253 avg, .728 OPS) with 54 runs scored, 8 homers, 48 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. He might not clear waivers if another team is looking for a cheap backup outfielder.

UPDATE: (4/14/2012) - The Tigers have lost Clete Thomas on waivers to the division rival Minnesota Twins.

The Tigers have claimed 23-year old lefty starter/reliever Kelvin De La Cruz off waivers from the Indians. De La Cruz pitched in 23 games (16 starts) in AA-ball last year and he was 5-6 with 2 saves, a 4.19 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. He has now pitched in 105 games (93 starts) in his first six years in the minors and he is 32-28 with 2 saves, a 4.21 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. It never hurts to swipe a talented lefty from a division rival (the Indians), so I like this move for them.

The Tigers have released 28-year old righty reliever David Pauley. Pauley pitched in 14 games (0 starts) for the Tigers last year and he was 0-2 with a 5.95 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP. He pitched in 53 games (0 starts) overall for the Tigers & Mariners last year and he was 5-6 with a 3.16 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP. He has now pitched in 81 games (20 starts) in his first four years in the majors and he is 9-18 with a 4.52 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. The Tigers won’t miss him at all this year as they are loaded in the pen for 2012.