First, a mea culpa to It's Just Sports.  In yesterday's post about the arguments that are being made for Miguel Cabrera as AL MVP, I neglected to include Patrick Hayes' case, which was presented last week - before anyone else addressed BigMig's candidacy.  (And I had it on my list of things to link to.)

So here's a link to that thoroughly researched post.  Apologies to you, Patrick.

  Cabrera's MVP chances were also the main topic in a chat I had with the Sports Talk Soup podcast last night.  I think we were supposed to preview the Tigers-Rays series, but got caught up in the MVP discussion.  You can download the show or listen to it via streaming audio at BlogTalkRadio.

  Tigers Amateur Analysis looks at this weekend's series with the Rays, and warns that Tampa runs even more than the Angels do.  (The Rays have 164 stolen bases to the Angels' 130.)

So should we expect to see more Gerald Laird behind the plate in this series?  The pitching rotation might have had him catching more anyway. 

  At Fangraphs, Dave Cameron thinks Brad Penny would be a good fit for the back end of the Tigers' rotation.  I seem to recall Penny pitching well against the Tigers, but I don't know how he'd do pitching for them.  Would he be better than the other pitchers the Tigers have available right now?

The Twins and Yankees are among the teams reportedly interested in Penny.

  Jon Paul Morosi believes the Tigers will win the AL Central, largely because Jake Peavy's health won't allow him to be a factor in the race.  He also predicts Zack Greinke will win the AL Cy Young Award, and favors Joe Mauer as MVP.  (via MackAveTigers on Twitter)

  If the Tigers were serious about adding Trevor Hoffman to their bullpen this past offseason, they might  have another chance to acquire him.  On Tuesday, the Brewers put him on waivers.  MLB.com's Adam McCalvy reports that a team has claimed him, but said it was a "rival club" and I don't think the Tigers fit that description.

(via Brew Crew Ball)

  Tigers Tracks continues its "Tigers By the Numbers" series, profiling each uniform number in team history.  (I'm still trying to get over Tony Phillips being passed over for the Number 4 feature.)  John is at Number 6.  You know who that means.

  Take 75 North contemplates the dilemma of whether or not to offer Placido Polanco arbitration this offseason.  This is going to be a tough decision for the Tigers.

By the way, do you subscribe to the T75N newsletter?  If not, you're missing out on a good look at each of the Tigers' farm teams, and which players are rising and falling.

  A player that will surely be featured in future newsletters is lefty first baseman James Robbins, a 30th-round pick that signed with the Tigers just before the deadline.  The Detroit Tigers Weblog has an interview with Robbins, who's already off to quite a start in the Gulf Coast League. 

  More uniform numbers for you?  The Daily Fungo lists the players who have worn #19 for the Tigers this decade, the latest being Aubrey Huff.  How has that number worked out for those guys? 

  Speaking of Mr. Huff, Trumbull and Michigan sees one benefit he's provided to the Tigers since joining the team.  Sean thinks Huff's approach at the plate will eventually pay off with some hits and RBIs.

  Another of the players who wore #19 was Juan Gonzalez.  Mickey Tettleton Memorial Overpass takes a break from total immersion in the Sports Illustrated online archives to share Tom Verducci's 2000 profile of Gonzalez and the season he had with the Tigers. 

Andy highlights several notable passages from the article and responds with the wisdom that nine years has given Tigers fans.  If you want to remember why and how this franchise spiraled downward under Randy Smith, there are plenty of bad decisions to go over.

  The Spot Starters looks at how each Tigers position player and pitcher has performed since the All-Star break.  There are stat lines both beautiful and terrifying on that list.