I was browsing ESPN.com today and saw that the Giants signed Edgar Renteria to a 2-year deal worth $18.5 million. Here's the link: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3744796

My first reaction to this was "Why didn't the Tigers offer Renteria arbitration?" Although hindsight is 20/20, all signs pointed to Edgar not accepting arbitration, resulting in the Tigers getting 2 future draft picks. The obvious downside to that would have been Edgar accepting arbitration and getting a one-year deal in the $9 million neighborhood. I don't believe the rumors milling about that the Tigers are too cash-strapped to be paying Renteria $9 million next season. If this were the case, why are they looking into Jack Wilson for $6 million? With a $130+ million payroll, is that $3 million really a huge difference? I, along with most fans, have no idea how tight the Tigers' budget truly is. Maybe that $3 million really is worth saving. However, for what Jack Wilson brings to the table (average-at-best behind the plate, slightly above average in the field), I don't see the benefit in paying him that much money. He makes quite a bit more money than Ramon Santiago will while producing similar, if slightly better numbers.

I have faith that Santiago can serve as a stopgap for a year or two until Cale Iorg is ready to be the guy. I don't understand what Dombrowski has against the guy, but hopefully he knows something I don't. The only thing DD has questioned publicly is Santiago's durability. I don't know if Santiago has a history of getting hurt when playing frequently, but let's face it: the injury situation probably can't get much worse than last year. The only drawback that comes with Santiago at short is a starting left-infield of Santiago and Brandon Inge. Though the two of them should be great defensively, the question marks with both of these guys have always been their production behind the plate. I've already hinted at the fact that Santiago isn't a great hitter (.250 career average, roughly), and Inge is about the same, with slightly better power numbers. My hope is that Inge, happily (hopefully...) playing as the starter at third, reverts back to his 2006 form. If not, we could be in another frustrating season from an offensive standpoint.

Overall, I think the Tigers made a mistake by not offering Renteria arbitration. They would most likely be looking at two more draft picks to use in this upcoming year, plus $9 million off the payroll (coming from Renteria's contract). What do you think? Did DD and the front office make a mistake? Are the Tigers in greater financial trouble than we think? Is Jack Wilson really that much better than Santiago? Hit the comments with your thoughts.