Roster Management

WDFN is reporting that Dontrelle Willis will rejoin the team today or tomorrow and will head to the pen while Armando Galarraga stays in the rotation.

UPDATE: Old news now, but the corresponding roster move was Clay Rapada getting DL’d due to bicep tendinitis. Rapada certainly struggled his last time out so which may [...]

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Let’s do an old Rob Neyer construct, Player A versus Player B:
Pitcher A:
Record: 3-1
GS: 6
IP: 40
ERA: 2.48
K/BB: 23/12
HR: 2
OPS against: .618
Pitcher B:
Record 3-1
GS: 6
IP: 35.1
ERA: 3.06
K/BB: 24/14
HR: 3
OPS against: .571
Pitcher B is Armando Galarraga in his first 6 starts this season. An impressive display for a team that needed some quality starting pitching. [...]

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Isn’t it something that we waited and waited to get the anticipated lineup together. First Granderson was injured, and then Sheffield and Polanco. And then everyone was set to come back and Carlos Guillen missed a couple games. Finally, on April 27th the 1000 run lineup took the field. And 8 [...]

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Curtis Granderson has been activated and will be leading off and patrolling center field. Just like old times. The only person in Detroit to view this as bad news is Clete Thomas who was sent to Toledo to make room. Thomas did well for himself and made the most of his time with [...]

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Dontrelle Willis is landing on the disabled list because he didn’t land correctly on Friday night. The initial diagnosis was a hyperextended knee and that was confirmed today by an MRI that revealed no structural damage. He’s not expected to miss significant time, but he wasn’t going to make his next start. [...]

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That didn’t take long. The Tigers are already raiding the Mud Hens bullpen promoting reliever Francis Beltran. Beltran was a non roster invitee this spring and one of the last cuts. He should be your basic replacement level type arm in the pen. But I don’t understand the corresponding roster [...]

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It’s done. After 6 weeks of simmering, the Tigers now know who will be heading North. Clete Thomas gets the last position player spot. Yorman Bazardo and Aquilino Lopez round out the bullpen. The additions of Thomas and Lopez require both to be added to the 40 man roster which now [...]

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With spring training winding down, things are getting ironed out throughout the organization. For some players their dreams may be coming true, while others receive a sobering wake-up call.
Minor issues
My blogging brethren has done the heavy lifting on this, but there are a number of cuts and roster machinations taking place. [...]

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One more cut took place today with outfield bench candidate Freddy Guzman being passed through waivers and outrighted to Erie. That leaves two players competing for the last bench spot (assuming that Ryan Raburn and Ramon Santiago make the team). Will it be back-up catcher Dane Sardinha or will Clete Thomas make the jump from AA Erie?

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News has been flying out of the Tigers camp fast and furious lately. Today the main topics of discussion are Dontrelle Willis, Clete Thomas, and Tim Byrdak.
Dontrelle Willis
Willis is struggling. He’s having a heck of a time finding the plate. His problem last year was control, and that had to do with [...]

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The Tigers today announced that they have unconditionally released Tim Byrdak. This coming 12 hours after he walked 4 in a game against the Astros. Byrdak came into spring training as a lock for the bullpen, but pitched horribly.
I’m surprised by the outright release. I wouldn’t have been surprised to see him [...]

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