Sounds like the Braves are close to reaching an agreement with veteran catcher Gerald Laird.

— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) November 15, 2012

Oct 24, 2012; San Francisco, CA, USA; Detroit Tigers catcher Gerald Laird (9) warms up during batting practice before game one of the 2012 World Series against the San Francisco Giants at AT

The Tigers had said that the door was open for Laird to come back, but they weren’t going to offer him more playing time or a larger salary (he made $1 million with the Tigers this past year). Atlanta recently lost backup catcher David Ross to the Boston Red Sox via free agency and were looking for a right-handed hitting catcher to replace him in the platoon with left-handed hitting Brian McCann. The Laird-Braves match seems like a good fit.

The Tigers could perhaps explore cheap options in free agency to back up Alex Avila (assuming the Laird-to-Atlanta deal materializes), but Dave Dombrowski had already stated his comfort with rookie Bryan Holaday should Laird receive a more appealing offer elsewhere. Holaday – the former NCAA Johnny Bench Award winner – appears able to handle big league catching duties defensively, but likely won’t contribute much of anything with his bat.

The Tigers could perhaps squeeze some offensive value out of Holaday if they (more or less) stick to a straight platoon at catcher – giving the right-handed hitting Holaday the start against left-handed pitchers (who Avila is weak against) – but even so, an OPS much north of .600 would be difficult for me to predict.

The only way the decision not to re-pursue Laird comes back to haunt the Tigers is if Alex Avila gets hurt for an extended period of time – not an unlikely proposition – but even so, Laird’s defensive skills appear to be on the decline and his offensive numbers will probably take a step or two back in 2013. The Tigers, who are stretching the payroll to fill real holes on the roster, didn’t want to pay more than they had to for an aging bench player, and I can hardly blame them for that.

[UPDATE:] And now it appears that the deal is indeed done.

Here we go.

Catcher- Bryan Holaday

Holaday spent his summer in Erie last year, and I have a feeling that is where he is going to spend it again. He could potentially be in Toledo as well, and we could see Rob Brantly here is the Tigers want to put James McCann in Lakeland. This position is definitely going to have a domino effect. Holaday belongs in AA because the bat is pretty awful, and he needs work. His defense is his calling card though, and good enough to back up wherever he is placed.

1st base- Jordan Lennerton

Lennerton is overlooked as a first base prospect, and there is some reason for that, but it doesn’t mean he isn’t a pretty good organizational guy. He can hit with some pop. He can also play a decent first base. He also strikes out a ton, and would more than likely get carved up by big league pitching.

2nd base- Brandon Douglas

This is a repeat for Brandon Douglas but I can’t help but think there isn’t room for him at Toledo with Danny Worth and Justin Henry potentially there. Douglas is much like a right handed version of Will Rhymes. He can hit, doesn’t have much in the way of pop, steals a few bags, and plays a pedestrian 2nd base. Which I guess is good for him, because that would mean he could get a big league shot at some point.

Shortstop- Brandon Loy

Loy doesn’t have the bat to handle this assignment but he does have the glove. Only reason I have him here though is because I believe the organization likes Dixon Machado enough to push him to Lakeland, which means we should see Loy go to Erie. Cale Iorg and Audy Ciriaco are possibilities as well, but I believe Ciriaco is going to Toledo.

3rd Base- Wade Gaynor

Gaynor needs a big year to get back on the map after a rough 2011. There is some athleticism and raw power there, but also a lot of swing and miss. Not that great defensively, but good enough, Gaynor needs a big 2012.

Outfield- Avisail Garcia

Garcia was a question mark to me when I did the Lakeland projections, however, I felt he would be pushed because the Tigers like him. It looks like that will be the case. Even though this is a huge challenge, I expect Garcia to handle things pretty well.

Outfield- Michael Rockett

Rockett has some tools, but is more of an extra outfielder than anything. He performed pretty well in a short stint in Erie last season, and while I don’t expect too much from him, he should be solid.

Outfield- Ben Guez

Guez had a solid year for the organization last year, but it’s going to be difficult for him to shake the extra outfielder tag as his ceiling. He could end up in Toledo, but with Quentin Berry having a big spring, I expect him to go to Toledo. Guez will probably move around a bit this season.

Designated Hitter- Tony Plagman

Plagman has been somewhat of an RBI machine, and he will probably get the same opportunity in the middle of Erie’s order this season. Will likely play some first base as well.

Bench- Cale Iorg, John Murrian, Brent Wyatt, and Shawn Roof. Maybe Bryan Pounds as well.

Closer- Tyler Stohr

Tigers like Stohr. He will get first crack on most nights to close.