Placido Polanco

The Detroit Tigers did not offer second baseman Placido Polanco arbitration, which means any team can sign him without having to forfeit a draft pick since he's a Type-A free agent.

Polanco, 34, hit .285/.331/.396 with 10 homers and 72 RBI in 675 plate appearances with the Tigers last season. He only struck out 46 times last season, which indicates he makes contact most of the time.

He has been linked to the Phillies multiple times thus far this offseason as many believe they're eyeing him to be their third base this coming season despite him not playing third since 2004.

The World Series has wrapped up, and it has gotten chilly in the Midwest.

While some of the Tigers are home in the tropics or enjoying 18 holes in Florida, The Hammer Toss will keep you warm with the hot stove.   

Is it just me, or is the Tigers' front office being remarkably short-sighted about who will be playing second base in 2010?

Scott Sizemore, a top prospect for the Detroit Tigers and heir apparent at second base, fractured a bone in his left ankle during Thursday's game in the Arizona Fall League.

The Minnesota Twins magical run is over.

After falling to the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series, the players can now head home for the winter and the front-office—lead by General Manager Bill Smith—can begin the work of ensuring the Twins are a contender again in 2010.

The pieces are already in place for a very good ballclub next season.

Perennial All-Stars Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau and Joe Nathan should all be healthy and ready to contribute.

The Detroit Tigers ended their 2009 season with a devastating extra innings loss to the Minnesota Twins.  Some writers are dubbing the collapse the worst in baseball history, but let’s reflect on the past season.

In 2008, the Tigers finished in the cellar, looking up to the rest of the A.L. Central with no lock on first place entering the ’09 season.  Despite their woes last season, Detroit preserved and maintained the top position for the majority of the year.

The Detroit Tigers are far from a perfect team.

Despite holding a division lead since May 10, the Tigers have failed to pull away from the mediocre pack.

The Tigers took a seven game division lead and Tigers fans started doing the math to determine what kind of a ridiculous streak the Twins would have to get on if the Tigers just managed to play .500 ball.

Unfortunately, Detroit went 8-11 between the sweep of the Rays and the beginning of this last home stand. The Twins went 13-6, even in the midst of losing perennial MVP candidate Justin Morneau for the season.

The teams that contend and make the playoffs are usually the teams that have the most well rounded and productive benches. A team is only as good as its weakest players.

It takes 25 men to win a championship. 162 games is a long season, spaced out over 180 days. The teams that do contend are able to do so because of a good bench. Everyday starters, despite the name, do not play 162 games per year anymore.