Tony Giarratano reportedly had aggravated his surgically repaired right shoulder recently, and it appears his playing days could be done. The Tigers certainly seem to think so.

"Unfortunately, Tony has not been able to recover from his previous surgery," GM Dave Dombrowski said in a statement, "and it does not appear feasible for him to continue his career at this time. We wish Tony all the best in his future endeavors."

Not sure yet how this affects the Tigers’ shortstop situation in the farm system. They have talent up the middle, but much of it is at second base. It certainly makes Brent Dlugach’s return from injury more critical.

He told reporters after Aragua’s win last night that management in Detroit wanted him to rest rather than compete in the Caribbean Series. He also said that he didn’t mind because he had been having problems with his left leg (believed to be quadriceps). Considering he was DHing for the past week while dealing with the injury, it’s not seen as serious. The fact that he won’t be playing, of course, is bad news for the Tigres de Aragua, who will be missing a lot of their regular players. By contrast, it’s probably good news for the Tigers of Detroit.

For an English translation, you can go to translate.google.com and plug in the link above.

I was traveling on Monday and didn’t get a chance to write anything on top of the basic story about Brandon Inge’s comments. I think the characterization of him as angry and bitter, even though he actually used those words in one interview, shrouds what he’s trying to do here. He’s clearly not happy with this, and he’s not happy with how he has been characterized in some places, but he’s trying to make the best of the situation.

He’s still a confident player, evidenced by how comfortable he is with the idea that he can be a catcher again after basically three years away from it (hey, Robert Fick and Eric Munson did it). But considering the Tigers’ situation at catcher, he has a reason to try to be an above-average catcher again.

Other bits and pieces:

• Miguel Cabrera’s Aragua Tigres clinched their second straight Venezuelan League title Tuesday night and move on to the Caribbean Series, but Cabrera won’t be following them there. Detroit Tigers assistant GM Al Avila said that Cabrera will get ready for Spring Training now, rather than keep on playing. Coincidentally, Cabrera had been playing at DH for the past week rather than in the field, and a report on the Aragua web site suggested he was doing so to avoid aggravating a slight tweak in his quadriceps.
• No reaction yet from the Tigers to the Johan Santana trade. However, I would imagine they would echo White Sox GM Kenny Williams’ reaction: "Good riddance." From a personal standpoint, I’ll be glad when we don’t have to read about Santana trade talks anymore. Are the Yankees in? Are they out? Are they back in? Well, they’re out now.
• One more note on Inge’s situation, since folks continue to email and ask why he can’t start at third base and Cabrera in left field. Dave Dombrowski and others have mentioned that Cabrera prefers to play third base rather than the outfield or somewhere else. What hasn’t been mentioned is that if that the Tigers are going to sign Cabrera long-term, it might behoove them to keep Cabrera happy.

Brandon Inge had his long-expected talk with Dave Dombrowski this morning. He told Dombrowski he’s willing to report to spring training with the catchers and work in a utility role, according to a Tigers spokesperson. More should be coming on this later today.

If you wanted to see some Tigers prospects in games, you won’t have to go across the street to the minor-league complex. The Tigers released their list of Spring Training invitees today, and it includes a fair range of guys, from the expected (Michael Hollimon, Jeff Larish, Clete Thomas) to the mild surprises (Jeff Gerbe, Scott Sizemore, Chris Lambert, Matt Joyce, Wilkin Ramirez) to the very surprising (Danny Worth, James Skelton). That’s in addition to Rick Porcello, who automatically goes to big-league camp because the Tigers signed him to a Major League contract out of high school. With Detroit admittedly having trouble signing minor-league free agents, they’re going to give some of their younger guys some exposure that some of them wouldn’t have gotten in a typical spring. However, president/GM Dave Dombrowski said the two factors aren’t related.

Cabrera will earn $11.3 million. That takes care of the Tigers’ arbitration cases. They’ll likely keep working on a longer-term contract for Cabrera, but this avoids dealing with arbitration. Remember, they reached a one-year deal with Fernando Rodney last year before adding another year onto the deal a day later.

The Tigers aren’t the only club with an incumbent third baseman they’d like to trade and the days dwindling until spring training. The White Sox agreed to terms with Joe Crede on a one-year, $5.1 million deal Thursday, but by most accounts, Chicago wants to start Josh Fields at third base. That puts Crede in limbo after hitting just .216 in a season limited to 47 games due to back problems. From MLB.com:

Crede finished with four home runs and 22 RBIs, after winning the American League Silver Slugger award in 2006 when he set career highs with 30 home runs and 94 RBIs.

Despite Crede’s season-ending injury, Williams approached his third baseman and Scott Boras, Crede’s agent, concerning the possibility of a multiyear deal in 2007. Williams explained that he was told that Crede preferred to play out 2008 on a one-year deal and then approach a new contract.

The short-term contract might actually work to Chicago’s advantage here. Unlike Inge, whose contract is an obstacle to his move, Crede has some flexibility. The reason Crede will probably stick around with the Sox for a while, certainly in camp, is that he has to show he’s healthy. The flip side is that Crede is up for free agency next winter.

It’s striking how two careers have basically become parallel. Little more than a year ago, Crede and Inge were being mentioned alongside Eric Chavez as the best defensive third basemen in the American League, and they were seemingly on their way to blossoming offensively. Now they both face an uncertain future.

I guess the question is, if you’re a team looking for a third baseman, who would you rather have?

One-year contract worth around $1.25 million, similar to Jonny Gomes’ deal today in Tampa Bay.

Worth $21.25 million — $4.25 in 2008, $7 million in 2009 and $10 million in 2010 ($11 million if he pitches 400 innings in 2008 and 2009 combined for 200 innings in 2009 alone). Given the market for starting pitchers, that’s not a bad deal for the Tigers.

Good enough that jet lag means nothing to him, apparently. On Saturday, he was shaking hands and taking photos with fans at TigerFest in Detroit. By Monday, he was back in his native Maracay, Venezuela playing winter ball, and playing pretty well. He went 4-for-5 with two doubles and four RBIs, including a key go-ahead, two-run single in am eighth-inning rally that pushed his Tigers de Aragua past Andres Torres’ Oriente Caribes, 10-7.

When I asked Cabrera on Saturday whether he was done with winter ball, he said he might play four or five more games. I didn’t think he’d playing again so soon. But then, Aragua is on a six-game winning streak that has vaulted them atop the Venezuelan League in round-robin play thanks to Monday’s win. They’re basically a lock to get back to the league finals once again.