Coming off of a last-place finish in the AL Central, the Tigers are desperate for upgrades all over the place, including at shortstop, but after splurging big last winter, they're looking to do it at a discount.As such, Detroit has targeted the Red Sox, who have a logjam at shortstop with rookie Jed Lowrie overtaking Julio Lugo in midseason, and the ability to absorb an albatross contract, namely Nate Robertson's or Dontrelle Willis', in recent weeks.
But according to Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald, those talks have stalled and the chances of a deal between the two clubs is "remote."
The question becomes what now for the Tigers. They'll probably revisit trade discussions with Boston and kick the tires on San Diego's Khalil Greene and Pittsburgh's Jack Wilson, but with the Sox increasingly likely to hold on to Lugo and with the acquisition cost of Greene prohibitive, their options are limited in trade.
They might be even more limited in free agency. Detroit already declined Edgar Renteria's 2009 option and appears unwilling to walk down that road again after only one season. It will certainly be priced out of the Rafael Furcal market and probably the Orlando Cabrera market as well. Add it all up, and the Tigers might be forced to punt the shortstop position in 2009, settling for a platoon of Ramon Santiago and one of the bargain infield options like David Eckstein or Alex Cora.
