After a week of Jack Wilson and Gerald Laird rumors that had Tigers fans feeling a bit down about this offseason, the Hot Stove may just be emanating some warmth in Detroit.  And like many of the rumors that have been swirling around the Tigers this winter, this one has boomeranged back to them after being tossed away. 

Writing about where Kerry Wood might end up after leaving leaving the Chicago Cubs, the Sun-Times' Chris DeLuca dropped this nugget that raised eyebrows throughout Tiger Town:

Wood is expected to land a two-year deal with a vesting option for a third year. The Mets and Detroit Tigers have shown the most interest.

Could this be true?  The Tigers chasing the reliever that ESPN.com's Keith Law says is the best on the free agent market?  After Dave Dombrowski said that he wouldn't pursue a top-tier closer, which he considered Wood to be?  Well, now. 

What changed Double-D's stance, if it has indeed changed?  For one thing, Wood was originally thought to be looking for a three-year deal, but now appears to have backed off from that, perhaps after judging a loaded free agent market for closers. 

And after not offering Edgar Renteria arbitration (and watching him with the Giants), apparently figuring out that they're better off pursuing Adam Everett in free agency rather than haggling over Jack Wilson's salary, while possibly closing in on a deal for Gerald Laird - all of which could save some Detroit some money - maybe the Tigers now know they can throw some money at a ninth-inning stud. 

As you might expect, the Tigersosphere is beginning to get giddy over the possibilities.

•  Billfer thinks Wood and a quality set-up man would fix things nicely.

•  Big Al is already dreaming of Wood-related headlines.

And we can't end this post without giving kudos to TigerFaninDC, who pounded the drum for Wood (and predicted the two-year deal, plus an option) in this FanPost.