Expect Maggs to return

All signs point to Maggs returning to the D. Especially with news that Jayson Werth signed with the Nationals, the Tigers need Ordonez's bat. Carl Crawford is the one remaining big bat available, but the Tigers have to overpay to attract players. Detroit just isn't a destination city. It can't compare to Boston, LA, or NY. So Dombrowski must seriously outbid every other team to get the high-priced guys. I can't see that happening with Carl Crawford.

And that's just fine. While I love the guy's combination of power and speed, a $100M contract could seriously cripple this organization. They'd be better served giving time to Casper Wells or Brennan Boesch. Perhaps one of those kids might develop into a legit power hitter. And their price tag is a mere fraction of Crawford's or Werth's.

If Dombrowski signs only one more hitter - Maggs - the lineup would look very similar to 2010:

1. Austin Jackson, CF

2. Ryan Raburn, LF

3. Magglio Ordonez, RF

4. Miguel Cabrera, 1B

5. Victor Martinez, DH

6. Carlos Guillen, 2B

7. Jhonny Peralta, SS

8. Brandon Inge, 3B

9. Alex Avila, C

I'd prefer either Boesch or Wells to Raburn, but Leyland is determined to make a major leaguer out of RyRa. He hit extremely well with the team out of contention. Let's hope he doesn't wait that long in 2011. Wells and Boesch could rotate in for either Raburn or Maggs. Martinez can rotate in at Catcher to spell Avila. And Guillen can move to DH, giving Will Rhymes time at 2B.

So, the Tigers have options. In fact, I'd say they're a fine offensive club. Defensively, they've got issues, but it's not as dire as some believe. Ordonez is a competent outfielder. Because he lacks speed, people tend to downgrade him, but I've rarely seen him completely botch a fly ball. I'd say - at worst - he's average, and he has a viable arm. Neither Wells nor Boesch would be defensive upgrades at that spot.

Raburn, though, is a defensive nightmare. He's shuttled around from 3B to 2B to Catcher to Outfield. Nothing has worked tremendously well. So they put him in left field where he does the least damage. Last season, he fared *ok* in LF and even made a handful of hit-robbing catches. Just don't expect that from him every day. And, if he's not hitting, he should be out of the lineup.

Peralta is a competent shortstop but limited in range. I expect Leyland to sub in Danny Worth when protecting a lead. Guillen, meanwhile, is a different story. I thought he'd be miserable at 2nd base last season. Like Raburn, the Tigers tried him at 3B and LF when his shortstop days were over. He didn't fare well in those spots, but he surprised at 2B. He's always had a soft glove and accurate arm. Because he doesn't have to cover as much ground at 2B, it's a decent match. I have no problem with him as the regular 2B. The main defensive troublespots are Raburn and the somewhat-limited Peralta. Also, if Martinez steps behind the dish, teams will run on him all day long. That's a problem.

So, with Werth off the table and Crawford likely signing elsewhere, my hope remains that Dombrowski focuses on starting pitching. Moving Phil Coke to the rotation is not the answer. The Tigers can't rely on Scherzer to have another world-beating 2nd half. He's still somewhat unproven. Porcello even moreso. And Galarraga? Who knows? This rotation needs help if they want to compete with the Adam Dunn-infused White Sox and the now-healthy-Morneau Twins. Too many things would need to go right for this rotation to work. I'd feel much better with another starter.

The Tigers may want to take a flyer on this guy. He's coming off injury which would lower his pricetag. He played his whole career in Colorado which also inflated his stats. In the pitcher-friendly confines of Comerica, he may find life much easier.