Detroit Tigers’ Roster Trimmed to 30 With Latest Round of Cuts

Nothing “new” has been officially decided yet, but the Tigers announced another round of cuts this morning that trimmed their roster down to 30 players.

The Tigers will still need to cut five more players by the time opening day rolls around, and that final round of cuts will be the one that answers all of our burning questions.

February 22, 2013; Lake Buena Vista, FL, USA; Detroit Tigers relief pitcher

(38) throws a pitch during spring training against the Atlanta Braves at Disney Wide World of Sports complex, Champion Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Assuming that Rick Porcello has “won” a job in the starting rotation – something that isn’t official – the Tigers have two bullpen spots up for grabs between Bruce Rondon, Drew Smyly, Darin Downs, and Luis Marte. I think Rondon has shown enough to go north initially, and I think they want Smyly to get starters’ innings in the minor leagues, so we might be talking about one spot between Downs and Marte. Consider Downs the front runner here.

Matt Tuiasosopo and Don Kelly look like good bets to break camp with the club, so the Tigers will need to option two more players to the minor leagues to clear space on the 25-man roster. I’m guessing Danny Worth and Quintin Berry will head to Toledo at the conclusion of Spring Training. The Tigers have three open spots on their 40-man roster, so adding Kelly and Tuiasosopo won’t be an issue in that respect.

With only six days until the season starts, two trade possibilities still exist that could shake up the Detroit Tigers’ Roster. They could finally pull the trigger on a Rick Porcello trade, or they could acquire someone very much like Casper Wells to take an outfield spot (the latter being much more likely than the former).