Below is the listing of the Detroit Tigers Non Roster Invitees, including the recently signed Matt Mantei

Pitchers
Tim Crabtree
Chad Durbin
Lee Gardner
Kevin Hodge
Colby Lewis
Matt Mantei
Hector Mercado
Bobby Seay

Catchers
Brian Peterson
Mike Rabelo
Chris Robinson
Danilo Sanchez
Max St. Pierre

Infielders
Mike Hessman
Kevin Hooper
Josh Phelps
Ramon Santiago

Outfielders
Alexis Gomez
Ryan Ludwick
Reggie Taylor

The list is a mix of familiar faces, and decent gambles. Guys like Bobby Seay and Matt Mantei are both low risk options who have had some success in the past. Mantei’s best season was in 2003 with the Diamondbacks when he had a 2.62 ERA and 29 saves. The best days may have past the 33 year old though as ast year he struggled and walked 24 hitters in 26 innings.

Most interesting among the list is Chris Robinson at catcher. Robinson was the Tigers 3rd Round Pick last year. It appears that Robinson will be the only member of last year’s draft class invited to the big league camp, despite struggling offensively at Oneonta (and in 4 games at West Michigan).

spring training, baseball

Former Detroit Tiger first round pick Kenny Baugh was traded today to the San Diego Padres. In return they get low A pitcher Ricky Steik. Steik had a 2.40 ERA as a 21 year old in the Midwest League last year. He had 7.95 K/9IP against 3.6 BB/9IP. Steik was a 7th round selection in the 2004 draft.

As for Baugh, I’m kind of surprised to see him traded. I believe he had one option left. If that was the case he could have stayed in Toledo next year. I know he’s not the same pitcher that the Tigers drafted, but he was effective last year. I thought he could have at least earned a shot as a long starter.

The Detroit Tigers have finalized their 40 man roster with the following transactions:

Purchased Contracts of:
Don Kelly
Joel Zumaya
Kyle Sleeth
Humberto Sanchez
Eulogio De La Cruz
Jordan Tata
Brent Clevlen
Kody Kirkland

Outrighted to Toledo contracts of:
Adam Peterson
Colby Lewis

The roster now stands at 40 players. The biggest omission is probably David Espinosa who the Tigers stand a decent chance of losing in the Rule 5 draft. Speaking of the Rule 5 draft, with the Tigers roster full, I believe that excludes them from participating.

To the best of my knowledge, this represents the Tigers current 40 man roster:

Player           2006 Contract Status Options

================ ==================== =======  

Kenny Baugh      Indentured Servant     Yes

Roman Colon      Indentured Servant     Yes

Craig Dingman    Indentured Servant      No

Franklyn German  Indentured Servant      No

Jason Grilli     Indentured Servant      No

Preston Larrison Indentured Servant     Yes

Wilfredo Ledezma Indentured Servant     Yes

Nate Robertson   Indentured Servant     Yes

Fernando Rodney  Indentured Servant     Yes

Chris Spurling   Indentured Servant     Yes

Mark Woodyard    Indentured Servant     Yes

Tony Giarratano  Indentured Servant     Yes

Omar Infante     Indentured Servant     Yes

Ryan Raburn      Indentured Servant     Yes

Chris Shelton    Indentured Servant     Yes

C. Granderson    Indentured Servant     Yes

Nook Logan       Indentured Servant     Yes

Marcus Thames    Indentured Servant      No

Don Kelly        Indentured Servant     Yes

Joel Zumaya      Indentured Servant     Yes

Kyle Sleeth      Indentured Servant     Yes

Humberto Sanchez Indentured Servant     Yes

E. De La Cruz    Indentured Servant     Yes

Jordan Tata      Indentured Servant     Yes

Brent Clevlen    Indentured Servant     Yes

Kody Kirkland    Indentured Servant     Yes
  


Jeremy Bonderman Arbitration Eligible   Yes

Mike Maroth      Arbitration Eligible   Yes

Vance Wilson     Arbitration Eligible    No

Brandon Inge     Arbitration Eligible    No

Carlos Pena      Arbitration Eligible    No

Craig Monroe     Arbitration Eligible   Yes
  


Troy Percival             Signed         No

Justin Verlander          Signed        Yes

Jamie Walker              Signed         No

Ivan Rodriguez            Signed         No

Carlos Guillen            Signed         No

Placido Polanco           Signed         No

Magglio Ordonez           Signed         No

Dmitri Young              Signed         No

As the Tigers enter shopping season it is worth taking a look at their current roster status. Detroit currently has 35 players protected on their major league roster.

For those who haven’t taken the time to plow through the collective bargaining agreement, players can fall into one of three categories. The first category is players with less than 3 years of major league service time. These players have no negotiating leverage. They can be signed for the major league minimum, and there contracts can be renewed each year without any sort of raise. However, teams will typically give players nominal raises each year. These players are classified as indentured servants. (One footnote, players with less than 3 years, but who are in the top one sixth of those with 2+ years of service time are arbitration eligible).

The next category are players with more than 3 years of experience, but less than 6 years. Once a player gets to that magic 3 year mark they become “arbitration eligible.” This is when players finally have some leverage. The teams still retain the players rights – as long as they tender the player a contract. If the team tenders a contract, the two parties can either a) go to binding arbitration for a one year contract, or b) continue to negotiate. If the team doesn’t tender a contract, the player becomes a free agent.

The final category are free agents. These are the players with six or more years of service time. In these cases, a team can offer a player a contract. The player can accept the contract, go to arbitration, or become a free agent. If you’ve heard about draft pick compensation, this is where it comes into play. If a team loses a player to free agency, and they had tendered said player a contract, they can then receive compensatory draft picks based on how the player is ranked by the Elias Sports Bureau.

Below is a table of the Tigers’ current 40 man roster, and the players’ contract status.

Player           2006 Contract Status Options
  

Kenny Baugh      Indentured Servant     Yes

Roman Colon      Indentured Servant     Yes

Craig Dingman    Indentured Servant      No

Franklyn German  Indentured Servant      No

Jason Grilli     Indentured Servant      No

Preston Larrison Indentured Servant     Yes

Wilfredo Ledezma Indentured Servant     Yes

Adam Peterson    Indentured Servant     Yes

Nate Robertson   Indentured Servant     Yes

Fernando Rodney  Indentured Servant     Yes

Chris Spurling   Indentured Servant     Yes

Mark Woodyard    Indentured Servant     Yes

Tony Giarratano  Indentured Servant     Yes

Omar Infante     Indentured Servant     Yes

Ryan Raburn      Indentured Servant     Yes

Chris Shelton    Indentured Servant     Yes

C. Granderson    Indentured Servant     Yes

Nook Logan       Indentured Servant     Yes

Marcus Thames    Indentured Servant      No
  


Jeremy Bonderman Arbitration Eligible   Yes

Andrew Good      Arbitration Eligible   Yes

Colby Lewis      Arbitration Eligible   Yes

Mike Maroth      Arbitration Eligible   Yes

Vance Wilson     Arbitration Eligible    No

Brandon Inge     Arbitration Eligible    No

Carlos Pena      Arbitration Eligible    No

Craig Monroe     Arbitration Eligible   Yes
  


Troy Percival             Signed         No

Justin Verlander          Signed        Yes

Jamie Walker              Signed         No

Ivan Rodriguez            Signed         No

Carlos Guillen            Signed         No

Placido Polanco           Signed         No

Magglio Ordonez           Signed         No

Dmitri Young              Signed         No

The Tigers currently hold the rights to 35 players, meaning there are 5 open spots. Of the players currently on the roster, most are expected to be retained (or at the very least traded for another major league player). Players most likely to be removed are Adam Peterson (who had a pretty poor AFL showing) and Andrew Good. Other possiblities for removal include Jason Grilli, Andrew Good, and Preston Larrison. It’s also unlikely that both Marcus Thames and Craig Monroe will be with the team next year.

The Tigers will most likely be looking to free up spaces as they look to sign free agents and protect several minor leaguers. One of the open spots will definitely go to Joel Zumaya who would most assuredly be picked in the Rule 5 draft. Zach Miner, who was acquired in the Kyle Farnsworth trade is also a likely candidate to be protected. Humberto Sanchez (who had a pretty solid AFL showing), David Espinosa, and Juan Tejeda are other candidates to be selected in the Rule 5 draft if not added to the 40 man roster.

The Tigers definitely will have some juggling to do in the coming month. It will be interesting to see how they value some of their prospects, and if they offer arbitration to any of their free agents (Jason Johnson, Rondell White).