Would he or wouldn't he?

That was the question for former Detroit Tigers reliever Joel Zumaya, now with the Minnesota Twins, after tearing the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow approximately 10 days ago. Would he opt for reconstructive elbow surgery and try yet again to continue his baseball career?

After taking time to think it over and discuss it with his family, Zumaya has indeed decided to have Tommy John surgery and give this pitching thing at least one more try. The procedure will be performed on March 29 by Dr. James Andrews and Zumaya will begin the long recovery and rehabilitation from there.

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With the University of Michigan baseball team in Port St. Lucie, Fla. — spring home of the New York Mets — over the weekend, it wouldn't have been unusual to see some maize and blue in Mets camp. Owner Fred Wilpon is a Michigan graduate, which is why the Wolverines play in Port St. Lucie every spring (and the school's baseball and softball complex bears his name).

So is that why Mets third baseman David Wright was wearing Denard Robinson's No. 16 jersey on Monday morning? Here's a photo (and you can click the link for a bigger image):

Was Wright just sucking up to the boss? (Maybe he saw the $100 million contract extension that fellow third baseman Ryan Zimmerman received from the Washington Nationals on Sunday, and figured it's time to work out a new deal.)

Not exactly.

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Any Tigers fans who were holding out hope that Victor Martinez might be able to recover from his ACL tear in time to make a late-season contribution can move on to other dreams now.

Martinez underwent microfracture surgery on his left knee last Friday, according to several reports, with doctors also repairing his medial and lateral meniscus. The procedure to reconstruct that torn ACL won’t take place for another six to eight weeks. That effectively ends any chance — which was slim to begin with — of Martinez playing for the Tigers in 2012.

Of most concern is that Martinez’s knee injury was far more serious than originally diagnosed. The initial ACL tear that was thought to take him out for the season hasn’t even been repaired yet. The microfracture and meniscus repair procedures had to be done first.

Microfracture surgery has been a difficult procedure for many athletes to recover from. Carlos Guillen and Clete Thomas both took a full year to come back, and neither one has recovered to full strength as of yet.

In other sports, Chris Webber was never the same player after microfracture surgery. And while Amare Stoudamire has come back to be an effective player, he had to change his game as he was nowhere near the explosive dunker he used to be.

Fortunately for the Tigers, they don’t need Martinez to dunk a basketball during the final two years of his contract. However, with the kind of damage sustained to that left knee, it’s not unreasonable to question whether or not Martinez will be at full strength for spring training in 2013. But since there’s now no doubt that Martinez is out for 2012, he can get as much rest and rehabilitation as he needs without trying to push for a quicker comeback.

UPDATE: CBSSports.com's Danny Knobler reported that he's been told Martinez is expected to be ready for 2013, despite the microfracture surgery. In fact, Martinez's knee could be even stronger, as the procedure to repair the medial and lateral meniscus took care of wear and tear that had developed.

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Michigan defensive tackle Mike Martin has been making quite an impression during practices for the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. this week. And he may be taking out some aggression on some former conference opponents, as well.

As noted by Mike Tanier, writing for Yahoo's Shutdown Corner, Martin and Ohio State center Tim Brewster got into "a brief shoving match" during drills on Tuesday.

"He's one of my best competitors," Brewster said after practice. "I love going against him."

Neither player appears ready to let their school rivalry go. Sports Illustrated's Tony Pauline also noted how hard Martin and Brewster had been going at each other in practice.

Earlier in his running diary, Pauline highlighted Martin as "impossible to stop" and "a disruptive force." Penn State's Johnnie Troutman was another Big Ten lineman who ended up as roadkill underneath the Martin express.

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Depending on how you look at it, 2009 was either a bad year for NFL coaches or a good one. There were 11 openings going into the '09 season, which meant several head coaches lost their jobs. On the other hand, 11 other coaches found employment, some of them getting the big job for the first time.

One of them, of course, was Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz. After a rough 2-14 rookie season, Schwartz has led the Lions to steady improvement, including a 10-6 record and wild card playoff spot in his third year on the job.

That performance has made Schwartz stand out among his peers in the coaching class of 2009. Four head coaches who were hired around the same time were fired at the end of this season. The Chiefs let Todd Haley go, the Buccaneers dismissed Raheem Morris, the Rams canned Steve Spagnuolo, and this week, Jim Caldwell was fired by the Colts.

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Winning the AL Central and advancing to the ALCS last season evidently wasn't enough for the Detroit Tigers to win a spot on the early part of ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball schedule.

Of the 10 games already scheduled for ESPN's weekly national showcase, the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers are tabbed for three appearances, with the Los Angeles Angels, Boston Red Sox and Washington Nationals each set for two games apiece. (Naturally, the Yankees and Red Sox will play each other in two of the scheduled broadcasts.)

The lone AL Central team to make the early cut? The Chicago White Sox. Go figure.

If it's any consolation, the Tigers aren't the only playoff team from last season to be squeezed off the Sunday night schedule. Both the Milwaukee Brewers and Arizona Diamondbacks are missing from the current slate, as well.

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It’s a mantra you can repeat every year at this time of year with the Detroit Tigers: Dave Dombrowski does not do arbitration.

The Tigers GM hasn’t gone to an arbitration hearing with a player during his 10-year tenure in Detroit. And that streak looks like it will continue. On Monday, the team agreed on one-year contracts with starting pitcher Rick Porcello and reliever Phil Coke. Tuesday, it was utility man Don Kelly’s turn.

CBSSports.com’s Jon Heyman was the first to report that the Tigers and Kelly have agreed on a one-year, $900,000 deal. Kelly qualifed for “Super Two” status and a fourth year of arbitration based on his major league service time.

Last season, Kelly hit .245/.291/.381 with seven home runs and 28 RBIs in plate appearances. But he became something of a hitting star in the postseason, compiling a 1.000 OPS in the ALDS versus the New York Yankees. And who can forget (or believe) his solo home run to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead in the decisive Game Five of that series?

But his true usefulness comes from his ability to play almost anywhere on the field. Kelly played eight positions last year for Detroit, including helping out at catcher and pitching a scoreless 1/3 of an inning in a late-June blowout loss to the Mets.

Kelly is expected to be the left-handed side of a platoon at third base with Brandon Inge this upcoming season.

Pitcher Max Scherzer and outfielder Delmon Young are the two players left to reach contract terms with and avoid arbitration hearings with the Tigers.

For more on the Detroit Tigers, check out Bless You Boys. You can also head over to SB Nation’s main MLB hub at Baseball Nation.

The grind that Detroit Tigers catcher Alex Avila pushed himself through at the end of the 2011 season did not go unnoticed by the national baseball media. (Playing the New York Yankees in the postseason may have contributed to that.)

Apparently, Avila's endurance and determination made a lasting impression on ESPN's Buster Olney. On last week's "Baseball Today" podcast, Olney was asked the unusual question of which baseball players would make good cow farmers.

(Olney grew up on a farm in Vermont and milked a lot of cows, which has probably been mentioned a time or 100 on the "Mike and Mike" show.)

In Olney's view, the cow farmer mentality is one of a player who performs the same task every day without complaint or acknowledgement of pain. So which baseball player best fit that criteria in his mind?

"Alex Avila of the Detroit Tigers has a farmer's mentality," Olney said.

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The good news for the Detroit Pistons is that their game against the Dallas Mavericks made the highlight reel on SportsCenter Tuesday night.

The bad news is that the game was highlighted for reasons having nothing to do with basketball.

Perhaps any game featuring the Mavs will get attention, given that they're the defending NBA champions. However, the Pistons didn't put up much of a fight, losing 100-86, and there wasn't much worth seeing again from the game. Except for the sight of two fans in civilian clothes (not suits), beers in hand, sitting on the Dallas bench.

Not next to the Mavs' bench. But actually among the players, sitting between Vince Carter and Delonte West. Much to the disbelief of George Blaha and Greg Kelser on the FOX Sports Detroit telecast. See for yourself.

So what was the story here? Who were those guys? And how did they get such choice seats? Were they friends of the players? Even if they were, why was coach Rick Carlisle allowing two guys enjoying a few pops to sit between his players during a game?

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Detroit Tigers television play-by-play man Mario Impemba was named Michigan Sportscaster of the Year on Tuesday by the National Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association.

Impemba, who is also the radio and TV play-by-play voice for Oakland University men's basketball, has been calling Tigers games on FOX Sports Detroit for the past 10 years, nine of them with analyst Rod Allen. (Has it really been that long? Wow, time flies.)

His broadcast workload has increased as the Tigers have improved into a playoff contender over the past six years, putting more games on FSD. It's almost hard to remember that every Tigers game wasn't on TV not so long ago.

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Former New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons quarterback Bobby Hebert caused quite a stir Monday night after the BCS Championship Game when he challenged LSU coach Les Miles for not pushing the ball down the field against a formidable Alabama pass rush.

(Hebert might also have a beef with Miles for benching offensive lineman T-Bob Hebert late in the season. Yes, T-Bob is Bobby's son.)

But Hebert's name being in the news might remind some Michigan sports fans of the days when he was the quarterback of the last professional football team in Detroit to win a championship. Though it happened almost 30 years ago, some fans still fondly remember Hebert leading the Michigan Panthers to a USFL championship in 1983, the league's inaugural season.

Here's a clip of Hebert connecting with former Michigan receiver Anthony Carter for an 80-yard touchdown in May 1983 at the Pontiac Silverdome:

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Are the Detroit Tigers really in the hunt for Chicago Cubs pitcher Matt Garza?

Just before the new year, FoxSports.com’s Jon Paul Morosi reported that the Tigers had joined the cluster of teams interested in trading for Garza. But could Detroit match or surpass whatever the Yankees, Red Sox and Blue Jays might be able to offer in a deal?

According to CSN Chicago’s David Kaplan, the Tigers are apparently making some progress with the Cubs in trade talks for Garza. Detroit would give up “a package of prospects” in return. But the question is which prospects?

The name that comes immediately to mind is top pitching prospect Jacob Turner. But would the Tigers really give up their best minor league pitcher when Garza has two arbitration eligible seasons remaining before free agency? The Oakland Athletics could ask for Turner and Nick Castellanos in a a deal for Gio Gonzalez because Gonzalez is under club control for another four seasons.

Yet the Yankees have reportedly cooled on a Garza deal because of what the Cubs are asking for in return. So it appears that the Tigers would indeed have to part with one or two of their best prospects in a trade.

Another name that Kaplan mentioned in his report is Casey Crosby, who was considered one of the Tigers’ best minor league pitchers until he struggled with arm problems over the past couple of years. Crosby might hold extra appeal to the organization, since he’s from the Chicago area. But it’s difficult to imagine that being much of a factor with the Cubs’ new front office of GM Jed Hoyer and team president Theo Epstein.

So would the Tigers trade Turner and Crosby (and likely one or two other prospects) for Garza? We’re talking about a pitcher who was 10-10 with the Cubs last season, but compiled a 3.32 ERA and 197 strikeouts in 198 innings. Plus, he’s pitched most of his career in the American League, so there shouldn’t be any question as to whether he was facing inferior competition.

There’s something to be said for “going for it” while the Tigers are among the playoff contenders in the AL. Such a deal would definitely qualify.

But I think I side with Kurt Mensching and James Schmehl on this one. Blowing out what’s left of the farm system for Garza probably isn’t worth it.

It’s been almost a year since Tate Forcier left the University of Michigan to try this football thing elsewhere. So we might be reaching the point where it’s no longer a “Michigan-related” story.

But the former Wolverines quarterback is on the move yet again, after withdrawing from classes at San Jose State. According to the San Jose Mercury News’ Jon Wilner, academics were a factor in his decision to leave.

Forcier still apparently hasn’t figured out colleges don’t let you do the football thing if you don’t do the school thing, as well. Failure to complete his course work was reportedly a reason for his benching and eventual departure from Michigan.

So what now for the nomadic Forcier? After leaving Michigan, he had a list of nine schools he was considering a transfer to. That list was eventually whittled down to five, four of which were FBS (Division I-A) programs.

Forcier actually chose to go to Miami initially, but changed his mind three months later for “personal reasons,” believed to be a desire to play closer to his California home.

The FCS program Forcier considered was Montana, which seems a likely next destination if he wants to play again soon. Yet Forcier was set to be the starter at San Jose State next season, so playing time or placement on the depth chart wasn’t an issue. If he’s not going to do what’s necessary to stay eligible, it won’t matter where he goes because he won’t be allowed to play.

Thus continues what’s becoming an increasingly sad story. It’s easy to snicker at Forcier leaving yet another school, but there may be larger issues to consider here. Last May, Forcier was involved in an incident that ended with a call to police and a trip to the hospital.

It’s difficult to believe that a career that started out with so much promise and acclaim at Michigan has now come to this. But that 2009 season feels like a long time ago.

It has not been fun watching the Detroit Lions' defensive secondary struggle against big-time passing games this season.

The worst may have been last Sunday, as Green Bay Packers' backup quarterback Matt Flynn passed for 480 yards and six touchdowns. Drew Brees has to be rubbing his hands in anticipation of facing Detroit's defensive backs when the Lions and New Orleans Saints clash in Saturday's NFC wild card game.

How well might that secondary have performed with All-Pro cornerback Asante Samuel on the Lions' roster? That almost happened, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer's Jeff McLane.

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With Darius Morris leaving Michigan last year to join the NBA, the Wolverines had a big question at point guard coming into this season. But freshman Trey Burke has calmed many of those concerns with his play thus far, averaging 14 points and five assists through Michigan's first 15 games.

That performance has qualified Burke as one of 20 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award, which annually goes to college basketball's top point guard. He joins Ohio State's Aaron Craft and Wisconsin's Jordan Taylor among Big Ten players competing for the award.

Giving this story an amusing twist, Morris was a surprising omission from the group of Cousy finalists last season. But not much was expected from Michigan then, and as a result, the Wolverines had very little national television exposure. That kept Morris under the radar until he emerged as one of the nation's best point guards during the Big Ten season.

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Detroit Tigers minor league shortstop Gustavo Nunez was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in Thursday’s Rule 5 draft. Players not protected on a team’s 40-man roster were eligible to be drafted.

Nunez, 23, played in Class A Lakeland and Class AA Erie this season in the Tigers’ organization. Overall, he hit .276/.333/.386 with five home runs, 26 RBIs and 18 stolen bases. Defensively, Nunez commited nine errors in 397 chances.

Obviously, if the Tigers truly didn’t want to lose Nunez, he would’ve been protected on the 40-man roster. He’s been held in some regard as a shortstop prospect, but GM Dave Dombrowski said there were only so many spots available and other players they needed to keep.

Detroit will receive $50,000 from the Pirates for the selection. Nunez must stay on Pittsburgh’s major league roster all season, or be offered back to the Tigers (for $25,000) before being sent down to the minors.

The Tigers did not select a player in the Rule 5 draft. (Most teams pass, since the player has to be kept on the major league roster all season.) Dombrowski said there was a player he would’ve liked to pick, but that prospect was gone by the time the Tigers’ selection came up at No. 26.

You can see the full results of the Rule 5 draft at Bless You Boys.

Fans who hoped the Detroit Tigers would pull off a big trade or free agent signing during baseball’s winter meetings might be disappointed with the team’s lack of sizzle. But late Wednesday night, the Tigers were close to improving their bullpen.

As the day developed, Detroit emerged as a front-runner to signing reliever Octavio Dotel. Most reports had the Tigers and St. Louis Cardinals — the team Dotel ended the season and won the World Series with — competing for his services.

But by the end of the day, according to CBSSports.com’s Danny Knobler, the two sides are on the verge of agreeing to a contract. Reports have the Tigers signing Dotel to a one-year deal with an option for 2013. That’s the compromise between Dotel wanting a two-year contract and Detroit not wanting to commit to more than one year.

The financial terms of the deal have not yet been revealed.

Dotel, 38, posted a 3.50 ERA for the Cardinals and Toronto Blue Jays last season. In the postseason, Dotel compiled a 2.61 ERA, helping the Cardinals to their championship.

The Tigers will be the 13th team he has pitched with during his career. He has also played for the Mets, Astros, Athletics, Yankees, Royals, Braves, White Sox, Pirates, Dodgers and Rockies in 13 major league seasons.

Dotel will be important for the Tigers in middle innings primarily because of his ability to get right-handed hitters out. Opposing righties hit .154/.198/.211 in 133 plate appearances against him. He struck out 45 and walked only seven.

Even better, Dotel gives Jim Leyland another strikeout option about of the bullpen. He averaged 10.33 strikeouts per nine innings in 2011. Only Al Alburquerque had a better rate among Tigers relievers. And unlike Alburquerque, Dotel isn’t wild. He walked 2.83 batters per nine.

Middle relief was frequently a problem for the Tigers last season, and even more so in the postseason. Relievers like Ryan Perry and Daniel Schlereth have yet to pitch consistently well. And Alburquerque has to prove his elbow can withstand a full season. Dotel should take care of those questions and effectively bridge the gap between Detroit’s starting pitchers and late-inning relievers.

Aren't those huge scoreboards at Michigan Stadium nice to look at? Michigan State thinks its fans should get to look at cool scoreboards like that, too.

According to the Detroit Free Press, MSU administrators will ask the school's Board of Trustees for approval on an $8 million project that will upgrade the scoreboards and sound system at Spartan Stadium. The athletic department will pay for the project.

However, this shouldn't be seen as some sort of attempt to keep up with Michigan, says MSU spokesman Kent Cassella. A new scoreboard was also installed at the Breslin Center earlier this year. 

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Publicly, the Detroit Tigers might be telling reporters that they’re willing to fill the fifth spot in their starting rotation from within. Or perhaps sign a lower-tier free agent to a one-year deal and use him as a swingman between the rotation and bullpen.

Privately, however, the Tigers’ actions speak otherwise. Though they’re now out of the running for Mark Buehrle, it’s pretty clear that Detroit was interested in signing him at the right price.

Late Tuesday night, trade rumors attached the Tigers to another left-handed starting pitcher, though one who’s younger and throws harder. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle talked to multiple sources with the Tigers who told her that the team was interested in Oakland Athletics left-hander Gio Gonzalez.

Last season, Gonzalez finished with a 16-12 record and 3.12 ERA in 202 innings for the Athletics. He struck out 197 batters, while walking 91. A left-hander with strikeout stuff who can also pitch a lot of innings is pretty much exactly what the Tigers would like to add to their rotation.

In addition, Gonzalez isn’t eligible for arbitration. That would keep him under club control for four years, a luxury that any team would have to pay highly for. (Why four instead of three? The A’s called Gonzalez up after June in 2008. He was recalled in August, to be exact.)

Look at how much the Tigers had to give up for Doug Fister. Being under club control until 2015 had a lot to do with that.

Furthermore, Slusser was told that Detroit would be willing to include top pitching prospect Jacob Turner in a deal. It would take much more to get Gonzalez from the A’s, however. The New York Yankees appear to be in a stronger position to make a trade with better pitching prospects to offer. For the Tigers to compete, they would likely have to include a major league player such as outfielder Brennan Boesch.

A’s GM Billy Beane might even push for third base prospect Nick Castellanos to be included in a trade for Gonzalez. In fact, Castellanos could be the player Beane insists on. According to the Detroit News’ Lynn Henning, that would be a deal-breaker for the Tigers.

The Detroit Tigers needed to clear a spot on their 40-man roster for a potential addition this week. The team is expected to add a player through trade or free agency, but may also anticipate selecting a player in the Rule 5 draft on Thursday.

First baseman Ryan Strieby drew the short straw on Monday, as the Tigers outrighted him to Class AAA Toledo. Strieby cleared waivers and since he’s longer protected on Detroit’s 40-man roster, he’s eligible to be selected by another team in the Rule 5 draft.

Strieby, a fourth-round pick in 2006, hit .255/.341/.429 with 19 home runs and 76 RBIs in 557 plate appearances for Toledo this past season. He played exclusively at first base in 2011 after the Tigers experimented with playing him in left field last year. With Miguel Cabrera entrenched at first base in Detroit, Strieby’s path to the majors was blocked and the hope was that his power bat could be utilized in left field. But that obviously didn’t work out.

Injuries to his left wrist stunted Strieby’s development considerably, sapping his bat speed and power. His standout season was a 28-homer, 94-RBI campaign for Class A Lakeland in 2008. But this year, he struck out 171 times. If that was happening at the Triple-A level, how would Strieby fare against major league pitching?

If Strieby gets picked up by the right team, he could benefit from the proverbial change of scenery. But will his bat speed and power return and put him back on a major league track? That remains to be seen.

The free agent and trade markets for second basemen haven’t worked in the Detroit Tigers’ favor thus far. With baseball’s Winter Meetings underway on Monday, the team is continuing to explore options.

The latest rumor, from the NY Post’s Joel Sherman, has the Tigers as one of three clubs talking to the New York Mets about acquiring infielder-outfielder Daniel Murphy.

Murphy, 26, is a left-handed hitter who hit .320/.362/.448 with six home runs and 48 RBIs in 423 plate appearances for the Mets last season. He mostly played first base, subbing for the injured Ike Davis. But he also played 101 games at that position in 2009.

He missed the 2010 season due to various knee injuries, the most serious being a torn MCL suffered after a hard takeout slide at second base. Murphy tore his MCL yet again this past August, but it was a less serious injury that didn’t require surgery.

Obviously, Murphy wouldn’t play much — if any — first base with the Tigers, but he’s also seen time at second and third base, as well as left field, during his career.

So he could play at all three positions, adding yet another name to the cluster of players currently set to platoon at second and third base. But his bat might help him stand out in competition for a regular job. He could see some time in the outfield too, though judging from his defensive metrics, left field might not be the best position for him.

According to Sherman, the Mets like Andy Dirks, viewing him as a possible replacement for Angel Pagan (who could be non-tendered) in center field next season. The Tigers would likely have to include another player, probably a pitcher, to make a deal happen.

The Toronto Blue Jays and San Diego Padres are the two other teams that have inquired about Murphy.

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Yoenis Cespedes has been the mystery man of the baseball offseason thus far.

Who is this Cuban outfielder that is making general managers — including the Tigers’ Dave Dombrowski — fly down to the Dominican Republic to see him work out? How much money is it going to sign him, especially if you’re not the Yankees or Red Sox? And just how do you pronounce that name?

Cespedes, 26, is in the Dominican Republic after defecting from Cuba, and currently waiting for his visa to be approved. After that, MLB is expected to declare him a free agent and the multi-team auction can begin for someone who appears to be the consummate five-tool player.

Cespedes hit .333/.424/.667 in Cuba this season and was one of two players to set a league record with 33 home runs. Baseball Prospectus’ Kevin Goldstein calls him a “legitimate centerfielder with plus power and speed” and “arguably the best player to come out of Cuba in a generation.”

However, Cespedes is expected to be an expensive acquisition. Many observers point to the six-year, $30 million contract Cuban pitcher Aroldis Chapman received from the Cincinnati Reds and expect Cespedes to fetch at least the same, if not far more. $50 million has been a number thrown around.

But how long would it take Cespedes to be ready for the majors? Obviously, the expectation would be to have him playing in the big leagues soon, given the money he’ll likely receive.

How would a team like the Tigers handle that? Would they trade an incumbent outfielder like Delmon Young, knowing that Cespedes would likely take a spot early in the season? Or would Detroit have to keep such players, just in case Cespedes proves he’s not quite ready?

Again, all expectations project Cespedes to be ready quickly. But it might not be a risk a team like the Tigers are willing to take, unlike the Yankees or Red Sox, who can more easily absorb a financial loss. (For example, players like Hideki Irabu, Kei Igawa or Daisuke Matsuzaka.)

However, Dombrowski has shown more of an interest in competing for international players in recent years. Supposedly, he’s had an eye on Cespedes for quite a while. This might be the guy who compels the Tigers to take the big plunge.

Shortstop Jose Reyes would be the dream free agent acquisition for many Detroit Tigers fans. The general sentiment — which has been encouraged by Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski — is that Reyes would be too pricey for a payroll that is already carrying two $20 million per year players in Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander.

But if Reyes’ price were somehow to come down from a lack of bidders in the free agent market, perhaps the Tigers could make a surprise push for the shortstop.

That’s the scuttlebutt SI.com’s Jon Heyman posted on Twitter, calling the Tigers an “outside late threat” for Reyes. Heyman also quoted someone from another team (presumably an executive) who called the Tigers “good poker players.”

It wouldn’t be the first time Detroit has sat back to see how the market played out, only to then swoop in when the terms worked in their favor. The Tigers signed Pudge Rodriguez and Magglio Ordonez under such circumstances. Jose Valverde and Johnny Damon could also be considered players who Detroit wasn’t in on early, but pursued once it became clear not many teams were competing for their services.

All it takes is one team to blow up the market for a player, as we saw with Carl Crawford and the Boston Red Sox last year, along with Jayson Werth and the Washington Nationals. But as of right now, it doesn’t appear that general managers consider Reyes a $20 million per year player. The one offer that he’s known to have received is a six-year, $90 million package from the Florida Marlins.

Could a six-year, $100 million offer (with an option for a seventh year) win the Reyes sweepstakes, as MLive.com’s James Schmehl speculates? Perhaps, but the Marlins and New York Mets might be willing to go that high, as well.

Giving a multi-year contract to Reyes would come with some risk, as calf and hamstring injuries have limited him to an average of 130 games during the past two seasons. In 2009, Reyes played in only 36 games because of injuries.

But the Tigers need a top-of-the-order hitter with speed and who can get on base, and Reyes fits both of those criteria wonderfully. He led the National League this past season with a .337 average and compiled an OBP of .384. Reyes also stole 39 bases, which would easily lead the Tigers. But there has to be some concern of how far down that is from his days of stealing 60-70 bases.

Signing Reyes would also cause the Tigers to shuffle around their infield and possibly alienate some current players. For instance, what happens to Jhonny Peralta, who had an excellent All-Star season for the Tigers? Would he be moved to another position? Would he become trade bait?

However, that’s a problem the Tigers have shown a willingness to take on before. Detroit already had Brandon Inge entrenched at third base when they acquired Cabrera before the 2008 season. That didn’t stop Dombrowski from pouncing on a chance to get one of the best hitters in baseball.

Is Reyes worth causing the same sort of upheaval? He very well may be.

Green Bay Packers running back Ryan Grant isn't exactly objective when it comes to Ndamukong Suh's two-game suspension for stomping on the arm of teammate Evan Dietrich-Smith during their Thanksgiving Day game.

As he told WSSL in Milwaukee, Grant believes the penalty handed down by the NFL needed to be longer. 

"Do I think it needs to be longer? Yeah, I do. I think it’s absurd. It was about as overboard as you can get what he did; it’s just not football. Can’t have that. It was ridiculous, and it’s not something you want to see regardless.

I’m not a fan of the apology, I’m not a fan of what he said. Anybody in hindsight can say all that, but we’re talking about something that’s not exactly a first occurrence. There have been issues, there have been talks and communication with the commissioner and across the board."

The Detroit Lions' defensive tackle is appealing the suspension and will have a hearing with the NFL on Thursday afternoon.

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