Brandon Inge

After a busy offseason for the Oakland A's, they will fight to retain their standing on top of the American League West.

During said offseason, the A's have moved around a lot of infielders through addition and subtraction.

Gone are the days of Cliff Pennington at shortstop or second base, after he was traded to Arizona. Stephen Drew is gone as well after being the A's shortstop down the stretch.  

The A's came back from a four-run first inning and played long ball en route to an 8-5 victory over the Colorado Rockies.

The Oakland Athletics have a glaring hole at third base—one that could be filled effectively by Brandon Inge.

The former Detroit Tiger was cut Thursday, ending a 12-year career in the Motor City.

Inge is only a .234 career hitter.

Two Detroit sports underdogs peeled off their uniforms for the last time as members of their respective teams, and they both did it on Thursday.

While that’s not where the similarities end, the endings couldn’t have been more different. The only thing the cessations of their careers have in common is that they happened within hours of each other.

It’s never easy to predict when a professional athlete will break down physically. Chalk it up to genetics perhaps. Some players are freaks of nature. Who can explain how Brett Favre played one of the most physically punishing positions in sports with Lou Gehrig-like durability?

Why is it that the quarterback Favre played 19 seasons and never missed a start, while basketball player Greg Oden is like a man made of salt left out in the rain?

Week one of the 2011 fantasy baseball season is just about in the books. Some of you may feel quite optimistic; while others may be a bit discouraged. Just remember that the fantasy baseball season is long, just like the MLB regular season. If you panic now, you're probably not cut out to play fantasy sports.

Week one has already been an interesting one. There have been some key injuries including Tampa Bay 3B Evan Longoria, who just so happens to have been my own first-round draft pick. It appears like he will be out for around three weeks with a strained oblique.

Late last week the Tigers re-signed third baseman Brandon Inge to a two-year, $11.5 million contract (with an option for 2013).  He showed significant power in 2009, but the numbers just weren’t there last season:

Cross another would-be free agent off the list.

With the 2010 regular season coming to a close and the playoff picture starting to become a little clearer every day, there are some teams that will focus on free agency and which players they are going to bring back or which players they could possibly land this offseason.

One of those players that will hit the free agent market is third baseman Adrian Beltre, who seemed to reinvent himself this season as a member of the Boston Red Sox.

Are you hurting in the RBI category? Here are some reasonably available players that can help you out.

Brandon Inge, 3B, Detroit Tigers

 Inge has 10 RBIs over the past 15 days while hitting .218 with four runs, two HRs, and a SB. On the year he’s hitting .254 with 37 runs, 10 HRs, 61 RBIs, and three SBs. Brandon is owned in 20 percent of CBS and five percent of ESPN leagues.