The Winter Meetings are over, but winter isn’t. We’re 77 days from Spring Training in Lakeland and 115 days from Opening Day in Minnesota. There’s still time for the Tigers to tweak the roster, but here’s the rundown of the 2013 Tigers:
C: Avila
1B: Fielder
2B: Infante
SS: Peralta
3B: Cabrera
LF: Dirks
CF: Jackson
RF: Hunter
DH: Martinez
Bench: Holaday, Santiago/Worth, outfielder, utility player
SP: Verlander, Fister, Scherzer, Porcello, Smyly
RP: Benoit, Coke, Alburquerque, Dotel, three other guys
The Tigers have a clear need over the next two months: depth.
The starting lineup is strong, but the bench is up in the air. They need a righthanded outfielder who can platoon or backup Dirks. They need some positional flexibility and might have gotten it by trading in a Don Kelly for another (Jeff Kobernus).
The starting rotation is also among the best in baseball and some of the bullpen slots are locked up. They need to choose another lefty and two righties, one of whom should probably be a long man.
None of these spots are premium spots. The Tigers don’t need impact players, they need role players. This is a star heavy team that needs some solid bench pieces to make it back to the postseason. The Tigers have been quiet this week for a reason.
They’re pretty much set for 2013.