The Tigers inked Ramon Santiago to a one year, $575k deal this year and it’s expected that Santiago will provide the Tigers with a decent late inning defensive replacement in the infield.  Santiago’s infamy has nothing to do with his weak stick but more to do with who the Tigers got for  him in a trade.  Back in 2004, the Tigers trade Santiago to the Mariners for Carlos Guillen after the Mariners stole Rich Aurilia from the Tigers on the free agent market.  The rest is history and Santiago rejoined the team in 2006 as a free agent.

With Santiago in the fold, it’ll be curious to see what happens to Omar Infante.  Omar is a better hitter but he fell out of favor late in the year in 2007.  They might keep him around because he can also fill in out in the outfield but that spot is getting crowded too.  Jason Beck speculates in his column that Infante might be dealt because of his arbitration eligibility.

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