Tiger fans are expecting a big signing this winter.  They have a ton of money coming off of the books and that should open the door for one of the big, blue chip free agents out there, right??  Well, my biggest concern is the Tigers could be the odd team out.  They’re rumored not to be making a play for Cliff Lee, who everyone expects to be a Yankee.  Carl Crawford also could end up in a Yankee uniform and Victor Martinez could easily resign with the Red Sox.  That leaves Jayson Wersth and Adam Dunn, who the Tigers might be forced to over pay if they want his services and it’s questionable how much of an upgrade he’d be over a guy like Magglio Ordonez who could come cheaper.

So the question is, do the Tigers sit out with regard to the big names and maybe grab some of the second tier guys.  With Jacob Turner being a couple of years away, should the Tigers sign a guy like Carl Pavano to anchor the rotation (leaving Armando Galarraga as the odd man out).  A guy like Brien Fuentes would give the Tigers a formidable one/two punch with Jose Valverde.  And rather then paying big for Dunn or Werth, would it make sense to give a veteran like Lance Berkman and incentive laden deal to come play for Detroit for a couple of seasons.  And while A.J. Pierzynski is the guy people love to hate, it’s hard not to appreciate him if you’ve ever been a Bill Laimbeer fan.  He’d make a nice stop gap if the Tigers brass doesn’t think Al Avila is ready to take on the every day catching job.  I also wouldn’t might if the Tigers could possibly swing a deal with the Royals to maybe bring Zach Greinke into town.

So there’s plenty out there, I just think people will disappointed if the Tigers don’t grab a big name.  My concern with grabbing a big name means we have a lot of money tied up and it could hurt us over the next few years if some holes develop.  We’ve been in that trap before and I’m not ready to jump back in and risk getting back into it.

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