After last nights game Tiger GM Dave Dombrowski and Manager Jim Leyland made the final cuts to form the 25-man roster. The only roster slots still available going into last night were for the bullpen and a utility outfielder or backup catcher. The pitchers who were vying for the last available slot were few and many assumed, myself included, that a trade was imminent especially after LOOGY Tim Byrdak was released. A trade did not happen and it continues to appear to be unlikely in the short term:

When asked if that meant there was no longer a chance the Tigers would make a last-minute deal, Leyland said, “My boss (general manager Dave Dombrowski) said it was OK to tell you that’s the team.”

For now the remaining bullpen slot will be filled with Aquilino Lopez who saw limited innings last year and spent most of the year with Toledo where he was dominant. This leaves Detroit with only one left-hander in the bullpen which points to changes in the future. Bobby Seay won’t be available everyday and will be called upon to pitch long relief from time to time.

The shocker, if you can call it that after the speculation the last few days, was the selection of 24-year old Clete Thomas to round out the the final utility role. Having never seen a pitch at the Triple-A level and spending the 2007 season in Erie where he struck out at a fair clip I’m surprised he was chosen. This decision likely had much more to do with his defensive and baserunning ability than prowess at the place. Leyland had glowing things to say about Clete, which threw me a bit off guard based on Jims usual statements:

“I told him, ‘You’re going to have a big-league career and probably end up playing every day,’ ” Leyland said. “But this will be a little lesson for you for later in your career when you slow down a little bit. You kind of prepare yourself now to make sure you’re ready (as a part-time player then).”

As one who enjoys monitoring the minor leagues and watching prospects I do look forward to seeing how Thomas handles the big leagues. As one who has high-hopes for this team and wants to see some wins I’m a bit stumped. I can only imagine the team believes that with the rest of the lineup as solid as a rock, that a few AB’s from a rookie won’t impact the team.

The Detroit Tiger Weblog has the complete roster.