Five Tigers filed for arbitration as the latest deadline in the process has come and gone.  Gerald Laird, Joel Zumaya, Justin Verlander, Bobby Seay and Edwin Jackson all filed and now, the two teams have until Tuesday when they exchange figures.  The hope is that it never gets that far and all five guys are in the fold by that time.

I’ve already talked about Justin Verlander, but how the Tigers treat the other five guys will give fans a glimpse at the Tigers future.  I can’t see Zumaya getting more then a one year deal with all of the injuries, but a guy like Edwin Jackson carries some risks and rewards.  If 2008 is a good indicator of what he can do, then he should be able to get the money that a back of the rotation guy should get and the Tigers might try to lock him up.  If the Tigers sign Laird to a longer (2-4 years) deal, then it goes to show what the system thinks of Dusty Ryan (and Alex Avila for that matter).

Regardless, it’s cold outside but things are going to be heating up in the front office and it’s expected (based on the fact that Dombrowski has never let a case go to arbitration) that all five guys will be signed by late Monday.

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