A month ago, the Tigers were still in contention. Now... not so much. And as much fun as watching nightly Mud Hens reunions has been, the focus has shifted to contending in 2011 and beyond.

In the good old days (last month), when Tigers fans spent time watching the games instead of placing bets on how long Carlos Guillen will stay off the DL, the front office was looking up ways to bulk up for a playoff run. Brad Hawpe's name came up as a realistic possibility.

Now with the Tigers attempting to win with a glorified AAA lineup, and Brad Hawpe now a Free Agent, do you think the Tigers should attempt to sign Brad Hawpe, either now or in the offseason?

Personally, I wouldn't count on the Tigers signing Carl Crawford. With Detroit not being a desirable destination, and the added pressures (and big bucks) of the Red Sox and the Yankees, I would see a return of Johnny Damon being more likely. Even then, I wouldn't put money on it. And as defensivley sound as a Don Kelly or Clete Thomas in the outfield may be, the offensive butchery wouldn't be worth it, especially in a Tigers offense already strapped for hits.

Aside from this season, Hawpe has been rather consistent: home runs in the mid-to-low 20s, .280 average. He's not a Gold Glove defenseman, but he's not Raburn (Edit: apparently he is).

What do you think? Should the Tigers try and sign Brad Hawpe if Crawford is not an option?

(On a side note: This is my first FanPost, so I apologise for the lack of any links or photos. Also, I am not very proficient in Sabermetrics, so if anyone sees some glaring reason why signing Hawpe isn't a good idea, please go right ahead and correct me. Thanks!)