Okay, I’ll move comment from the Fanpost over here.

Well, there’s your answer to the question, who gets the ax to make room for Johnny Damon.

I like Casey. He’s one relief pitcher that doesn’t have control issues. He can throw strikes, and I think he should have been given a shot much earlier in 2009 while the Tigers wasted roster spots on Willis, Robertson, Rincon and held on to Zumaya. But Casey is a casualty of the numbers game. The Tigers have a bevy of young, talented relievers. The kind that any club would claim if they hit the waiver wire. Casey is also a victim of the influx of bullpen talent that the Tigers acquired first in the 2008 draft (Perry, Green, and Satterwhite), and the trades of this off season.

The Tigers now have ten days to trade, release, or outright Fien to the minors. If not traded, he’ll have to clear waivers. If claimed, he’s gone for the waiver price. If he clears, he can be outrighted, since he has never been outrighted off the roster previously in his career. I hope he clears.

One more casualty of the egg on DD’s face otherwise known as Willis. It’s time he wiped that off.

I’m more comfortable in a backbencher’s role anyway :))

it’s Casey, I didn’t expect him yo be the one…

I am not surprised that it’s a relief pitcher getting the ax, but I thought maybe Sborz.

The Tigers, like most clubs, generally keep a balance of 20 pitchers and 20 position players on the 40 man roster. When they inked Valverde, Larish was cut to make room for him, throwing the balance off, 21- 19.

Also, the bullpen is a deep area for the Tigers on the roster. They leaned toward protecting the position players in the Rule 5 draft also, adding Strieby, Sizemore, Boesch, and Ciriaco to the major league roster, while leaving Luis Marte, Lester Olivares, Brett Jensen, and Scot Drucker unprotected.

If Casey does clear waivers, they can outright him. Sborz was a minor league free agent, and they added him to the roster to prevent him from walking for nothing and going to the highest bidder. He probably also has the higher “ceiling”. Brad Thomas has also moved down the depth charts, being one of five lefty relievers on the roster now, with Coke and Schlereth both being added since he was signed. But he’s out of options and has signed a major league contract.

I still think there is a decent chance that a reliever is traded, probably one of the lefties.
Willis is the guy that I think most of us would have cut a long time ago, but he’s now got a recruiting job, and an insurance policy, and all those “intangibles”, and he’s fun to be around. Sorta like a train wreck!

I wish Casey luck, wherever he goes. He posted some nice 10.2 K/9 and a 2.3 BB/9 ratios in 58 IP in the minors last year, but didn’t fare so well in the majors in only 11 IP. He’d be worth almost any team picking up. I’d prefer if DD got something for him.

for DD to find someone that would be willing to trade for one of the relievers when they know that the Tigers are going to have to waive someone. Kind of like paying for something that you’re getting for free (sorta) later.

does the acquiring team have to place him on their 40-man roster?