Neither Inge Nor Durbin Are Pittsburgh Bound

Had I not been prevented from getting to a computer yesterday, I would've written about the Pittsburgh Pirates' apparent interest in two potential Detroit Tigers cast-offs, Brandon Inge and Chad Durbin.

As reports of interest in bringing Inge to Pittsburgh began trickling out, fingers in the blogosphere got to typing.  Bucs Dugout was definitely intrigued by the possibility, writing an almost glowing post about what kind of fit Inge might be on the Pirates.

Unfortunately, that idea appears to have walked the plank.  Inge's contract, with $19.1 million remaining to be paid, seems to have scared off the Pirates (say it with me - aarrrr).  So they'll get by with Jose Bautista at third base, with the newly signed Chris Gomez surely helping out when needed.  So belay that talk, ye scurvy dogs!  

As impressive as Dave Dombrowski's moves have been this off-season, it looks like he'll really have to work some magic to convince some team to take on that contract without the Tigers having to pay some of the money.  

There were also rumblings yesterday of a possible deal between the Tigers and Pirates involving Durbin, who had essentially been squeezed out by all of Detroit's off-season dealing.  But a deal couldn't be agreed upon before the Tigers had to make their arbitration offers, so Durbin wasn't tendered a contract and is now a free agent.

As Billfer pointed out, Jim Leyland also seemed to have lost faith in Durbin after he blew up one too many times.  Though he bailed the Tigers out early in the season when they needed someone (anyone) to start some games and cover for the loss of Kenny Rogers, Durbin eventually became a pitching liability, which was most apparent in the first game of the September 11 doubleheader with the Rangers.  The pitching staff was trashed, and really needed a quality start to give everyone a break.  But Durbin crumbled, and that was pretty much it for his Tigers career.