The Tigers locked up Ryan Raburn to a two year deal worth $3.4 million.  After a breakout 2009 and a very nice second half in 2010, Raburn is penciled in as the starting left fielder for the Tigers.  This was Rabun’s first year of arbitration eligibility so the Tigers get a little bit of cost certainty by locking him up for 2012 as well.

The Tigers now have only two more arbitration eligible players to contend.  Joel Zumaya and Armando Galarraga are the two and while I think we’ll get Zumaya at a decent rate without much trouble, Galarraga posses a more interesting dilemma now that the Tigers have Brad Penny in the mix.  He’s looking like the odd man out here and he’s out of options so the Tigers have to either make room for him or cut bait.  Jason Beck takes on this question in a well thought out piece. Odds are, Galarraga starts in spring training, but ultimately, it’s to give him some trade value.

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