For the Detroit Tigers, names that have passed through that list in the past years would be those of Justin Verlander, Cameron Maybin, Rick Porcello and others. This year the list is a domain of two newcomers to the Tigers organization, with #38 being Austin Jackson and #42, Jacob Turner.

Just out of the top 50, Casey Crosby was ranked #54.

Austin Jackson was ranked #27 in the 2009 MLB.com prospect list, but fell with his lack of Major League playing time with the New York Yankees. With the offseason deal that sent him to Detroit, that will not be a problem anymore. As manager, Jim Leyland, has already stated he will be the starting centerfielder and will get a shot at batting lead off.

In 2009 at Triple-A Wilkes-Barre Scranton, Jackson hit .324 with 14-for-14 in stealing opportunities in the first half. His second half wasn’t as anybody expected, as “A-Jax” hit just .260 and stole 10-of-14 tries.

He has a ton of upside potential with speed to burn. Some think he can develop some pop from the plate, while others disagree.

For Jacob Turner, it’s all about expectations. In his senior year in high school, Turner tossed 58.1 innings with a 0.60 ERA. He was selected ninth overall in the 2009 MLB Amateur Draft by Detroit.

Turner’s fast can hit the upper-90s, but will be more consistent in the mid-to-low 90 MPH range. As MLB.com reports, his curveball has potential to be a great pitch, but he needs work on his changeup. Turner is expected to get a shot at the Majors in 2013, but I believe that’s a year or two late.

Imagine that rotation Tigers fans; Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Rick Porcello and Jacob Turner. Coming to your favorite team in the near future.

It wasn’t strange to hear the occasional; “Who is signing up there?”, with the many new faces from New York, Arizona or just the Tigers own minor league affiliates. Fans anxiously waited to snag an autograph from Miguel Cabrera, Justin Verlander or Magglio Ordonez, but most of the time ended up with players like Bobby Seay, Casey Fien, Zach Miner or Alex Avila.

It was a long, chaotic day of Tigers baseball. This is what was seen and heard around TigerFest 2010.

• Mario Impemba believes Magglio Ordonez looks to be in great shape.
• Rick Porcello demonstrated his takedown of Kevin Youkilis. “It’s all in the hips.” (via Twitter @Detroit4lyfe)
• Zach Miner seems to have bulked up. Not in a good way.
• Phil Coke will likely be a reliever, others will battle for rotation (via Twitter @detroit_tigers)
• Austin Jackson not worried about the pressure.
• Max Scherzer and Daniel Schlereth supposably like the cold weather. “I love it, love it.” (Schlereth)
• Scott Sizemore should be ready for the beginning of Spring Training, Brandon Inge… not so much.
• Austin Jackson to get a chance to lead off (via Twitter @beckjason)
• Dave Dombrowski reiterates that they want to resign Justin Verlander. Duh.
• Dombrowski: “We were probably too liberal in giving long-term contracts to players. A couple of those contracts didn’t work out.” (via Twitter @beckjason) — One person called that the “Understatement of the Day”.

Micheal Rosenberg of the Free Press penned a wonderful article on the subject and Eye of the Tigers‘ J. Ellet Lambie offered his thoughts as well.

Rosenberg noted that this new Cabrera smiled and laughed, that he appeared comfortable even when surrounded by reporters. Even as he knew there would be tough questions, he was open and honest about his experiences. All of this is a stark contrast to the often surly, quiet Cabrera who spoke with reporters only begrudgingly through the season.

Conquering one’s demons is not something easily done, nor is his quest complete. Cabrera said his treatment will last throughout Spring Training and into the regular season, when no doubt, temptation (and opportunity to fail) will be at its peak.

But Cabrera should be applauded for standing up and taking his life back. It is true that Cabrera’s personal life is none of our business, and I don’t intend to make it mine. But, I would guess that the changes Cabrera has made will lead to a happier, healthier home life. If they lead to a better ballplayer, the American League had better look out.

Much like Gary Sheffield last season, Byrnes will be free to sign with another club, and will command only the league minimum. A bargain to be sure if he can stay on the field. But the Tigers shouldn’t be looking at adding the soon-to-be 34 year old.

While Byrnes could provide depth in case any of the current Tiger outfielders went down, he would have to be added to the already full 40-man roster. Of course, if he were to sign a minor league deal, that wouldn’t be the case, but a guy with his talent and very small salary (to the team that signs him) will have more than one team after his services, virtually assuring a big league deal.

When the Jose Valverde signing become official, the Tigers will already have to open a spot on the roster for him. Kurt has a post wondering what move will be made over at Bless You Boys. Adding another player to the roster would result in having to remove yet another player, a risk that simply isn’t worth the reward of having Byrnes.

Factor in also that Ryan Raburn, Clete Thomas, and even Don Kelly are already on the roster, all of whom provide the same depth that Byrnes would. Simply put, in a different year, under different circumstances, I would like to see a guy with his ability on the ball club, but this team is all set without him. Unless of course he suddenly learns to bat left handed.

Valverde, 30, has 167 career saves and a 3.17 lifetime ERA. He led the league with 47 saves in 2007 and then led the National League with 44 saves in 2008.

The signing comes about with question marks from many Tigers fans, writers and onlookers.

Detroit had seemingly thrown in the white towel on the upcoming 2010 season. It became noticeable after the trade of Edwin Jackson and Curtis Granderson for younger talent and to free up the check book just a tad more for the 2010-2011 offseason.

Before the Valverde signing was confirmed, Detroit was looking at a split closer role between  Joel Zumaya and Ryan Perry. The two combine for a total of four career saves, but the skills were there and the fit was just fine for a mediocre team.

The Tigers will be inking Jose Valverde to a two-year, $14 million deal with a $9 million option on the third year. I’m sorry Mr. Dombrowski, but the deal and timing just doesn’t make sense.

Here are some comments of the deal via Twitter:

 @d_a_cameron ”Does source confirm DET is dumb?”
@Big_Al_TWFE ”Valverde is a Tiger? It’s official. The Tigers do not, nor have they ever, had a plan.”
@MackAveKurt “pardon the language, but… F*CK”

Everybody seems to be thinking the same thing, “Why?”. With the signing, the Tigers, because Valverde is a Type A free agent, lost their 19th overall draft pick in the upcoming 2010 Amateur Draft.

Another reason for disapproval would be the amount of money spent. With the $14, maybe $23 million, spent on one single player, the Tigers could have split among three players to fill voids in multiple areas. Positions like maybe a second baseman, shortstop, starting pitcher, relief pitcher, left-handed bat, outfield depth or any other problems from the scroll.

Look for the newcomer, Valverde to most likely at least make an appearance at this month’s TigerFest at Comerica Park.

All in all, this is a bad deal for a rebuilding Tigers team. Dave Dombrowski may not admit it, but a team who won’t compete, doesn’t need a $14 million closer, since he won’t be needed that often. Many MLB teams have made this an example over the years.

We need an explaination, a press conference, a something from Dombrowski, because the ship is sinking and it’s sinking fast.

IN OTHER NEWS: The Tigers sign Mike Rabelo, Enrique Gonzalez, Ruddy Lugo and others to minor league contracts.

The Tigers have signed free agent closer Jose Valverde to a two year, $14 MM contract with an option for a third year at $9 MM.

As I wrote over at Tigers Tracks, and here yesterday, I can’t stomach spending that kind of cash on a closer, especially when the lineup is so full of question marks. Saves are the most overrated stat in baseball, it makes no sense to surrender a draft pick and dole out $7 MM per year to a closer, unless your team in otherwise complete.

This team is nowhere near complete.

Look, I think the world of Valverde. His stuff is simply overpowering, as his numbers attest to. Last season was the first of his seven year career that his K/9 fell below 10, but it was still at 9.3.  His career 3:1 K:BB ratio shows the kind of shut-down reliever he is. Opponents hit just .202 against him in 2009. He is every bit as good as a closer can be, unless your name is Rivera or Nathan.

That said, the Tigers just got done trading two young, relatively low-cost all-stars in an attempt to trim payroll. This is how the savings are spent? On a closer? That part, I just don’t get.

The question isn’t about whether or not Valverde is a top-tier closer, his past two years in Houston prove that he is.  The question I have is why the Tigers would be willing to throw money at him.

The 2009 season taught many lessons to the Tigers, most prominent of those should be that you don’t need a big name closer.  Prior to the ‘09 season, Fernando Rodney had been inconsistent at best when asked to close, all he did was go 37 for 38 in save chances last year.  And at a fraction of the cost of a Valverde.

Dave Dombrowski chose not to go hard after keeping Rodney, and watched as he signed a deal with Anaheim for $5.5 MM per year.  Word was that the Tigers didn’t want to commit two years to a closer.  So why the sudden change of heart? Especially when Valverde will cost more than Rodney, both in terms of dollars and in that the Tigers would surrender their first round pick in next year’s draft.

Couple that with the prevailing thought that the big trade of Curtis Granderson and Edwin Jackson was at least in part financially motivated, and I have to wonder why a team trying to control its payroll would want to pay for saves.

If there is a free $6 MM laying around, should the Tigers look to improve upon the depth of the offense? Magglio Ordonez is 35 now and coming off his worst offensive season.  Carlos Guillen can’t be counted on to stay healthy, and the current plan is to start a second baseman and a center fielder with a combined zero big league at bats.  The rest of the lineup features a weak hitting shortstop, a weak hitting catcher, and a weak hitting third baseman. What that means is unless Guillen and Maggs have big years, there is zero room for error. You cannot expect to compete, even in a weak division, with what amounts to Miguel Cabrera and a bunch of question marks.

In addition, the Tigers have spent the off-season thus far stockpiling relievers. Dan Schlereth, Ryan Perry and Joel Zumaya all have the stuff to close, but none have any experience in the role, at least not professionally. Zumaya is the top candidate as he at least has thrown meaningful innings in the past. I understand that Zumaya is a health risk, but if he breaks down, they can turn then to Perry. By the way, none of the three pitchers I just mentioned will earn even a quarter of what Valverde has been offered.

So while the Tigers work on overspending on a closer, they have sat by and watched Eric Hinske and Ryan Church sign contracts that pay them $1.5 MM each, and either or both would have been a welcome addition to a team that needs depth behind its aging and injury-prone stars, as well as insurance in case the rookies aren’t ready.

The Tigers are low in relief pitching and even lower in closers. Detroit’s top choices to close in 2010 are Joel Zumaya or Ryan Perry, two that have yet to prove themselves in the big leagues.

Possibly the top available closer on the market now is Jose Valverde. Valverde, 30, spent his first five seasons of his career with the Arizona Diamondbacks and then his last two with the Houston Astros.

Valverde has 167 career saves with a 3.17 ERA, which is very low for a closer. In 2007, Valverde led the league in saves with 47 and then the following year led the National League with 44 saves and sat atop all of baseball after finishing 71 games for the Astros.

His reactions are different, flailing motions, quick jumpy celebrations, chest pounding excitement, all basically one-of-a-kind. It worked in the Arizona and Houston, will it work in Detroit?

We just might see.

Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com tweeted the agreement, and says a physical will take place today.  If all goes well, the deal will be announced this afternoon.

Podsednik will replace Coco Crisp in centerfield for KC, and likely also take over the lead-off spot.  Two areas the Tigers certainly could have used some help.  But Podsednik isn’t the kind of help you want out there if you’re a fan of defense.  Over his career, Podsednik rates as average to below average in either center or left, not exactly the kind of man you want playing between statues Carlos Guillen and Magglio Ordonez.  The White Sox thought so much of his defense last season that Podsednik was frequently removed from games late in favor of Dewayne Wise.

Offensively, Podsednik should help the Royals a bit, but don’t expect him to duplicate last year’s .764 OPS.  In the past seven seasons, Podsednik has bested .700 just twice, the last time coming in his rookie campaign.  Podsednik is still fast, but he has never been a good base stealer.  Prolific, yes, but certainly not efficient.  Podsednik lead the league in steals once over his career, but lead the league in times caught twice.  He has been successful in just 75% of his career attempts, but was good on just 69% last season.  His best years came with the Brewers in the mid-90s.  If you look at just his AL numbers, Podsednik has stolen just 70% of the bases he has tried.

While I remain hopeful that Detroit might add a veteran bat who can play center, just in case Austin Jackson is in over his head, I’m glad they weren’t able to sign Podsednik.  Perhaps they should just trust the guys they have already.  Clete Thomas can do the job defensively, and he can hit as much as most fourth outfielders.  Ryan Raburn has the stick to play, but he probably can’t effectively man centerfield on a regular basis.  If Jackson can’t win the job, perhaps a platoon of sorts with Raburn and Thomas would work.  I’d be happier with that than with Podsednik playing for the Tigers.

For 20 seasons, Trammell patrolled the shortstop position for the Detroit Tigers.  19 of those he played along side another Hall snub; Lou Whitaker.  Whitaker fell off the ballot in his first year of eligibility.  Trammell has been waiting for now nine years.  He will wait some more.

This year, there is another shortstop on the ballot: Barry Larkin.  Larkin is in many ways the NL version of Trammell.  Both played stellar defense throughout their careers, but neither was recognized as the best glove man, thanks to careers that coincided with Cal Ripken, Jr. and Ozzie Smith.  But like Ripken, and decidedly unlike Smith, Trammell and Larkin revolutionized the position.  Before there were great offensive shortstops like Miguel Tejada, Alex Rodriguez, Nomar Garciaparra, and Derek Jeter, there was Larkin and Trammell.

It is in large part because of the offensive explosion of the late 90s that Trammell has been overlooked thus far, but Larkin’s appearance on the ballot may be causing some voters to finally take another look at the former Tiger.  While Ripken and Trammell were winding down their careers, Larkin was still in his prime.  While A-Rod and Nomar were putting up big numbers in the American League, Larkin was doing the same for the Reds.  In short, the respect that Larkin generated throughout his career has perhaps forced some voters into viewing Trammell through a different lens.

I don’t think Larkin will be elected this year, but I do expect he will someday take his rightful place in Cooperstown.  Trammell should be there, too.  I just don’t think he will be.  I do expect that Trammell will see a jump in his total votes this time around, and maybe generate some momentum for future years.  Larkin and Trammell are essentially similar.  A quick view of Trammell’s Baseball-Reference page shows that by their rankings, Trammell’s most comparable hitter (not shortstop, but hitter) is in fact, Barry Larkin.

Larkin had one MVP worthy season, when he won the award in 1995, but finished in the top-ten just one other time.  Trammell should have won in 1987, finishing second to Toronto’s George Bell, and he placed in the top-ten a total of three times.  Larkin finished his career with 2340 hits and a .295 average, Trammell had 2365 hits and a .285 average.  Larkin had a career OPS+ of 116, Trammell’s was 110.  Larkin won three gold gloves, Trammell won four.  Both men lead their teams to one World Championship, but Trammell won a Series MVP award for his heroics in 1984.  According to B-R’s Hall of Fame Monitor, both players score 118, with likely HoFers rated at 100.

While there is probably a case to be made to keep both players out of the Hall, you won’t hear me making that argument.  Larkin deserves the honor that will surely come someday, but so does Trammell.  This year’s voting will tell us whether or not he has a chance.  After all, Trammell has never received even 19% of the vote.  In all likelihood, it will take a vote from the Veteran’s Committee to put Trammell into the hall.  Likely several years after Larkin is already there.  And that’s a shame.