The Tigers had to play catch-up to the Cleveland Indians for most of the season, but as the season turned to the stretch run, they took off like Seabiscuit toward the finish line, leaving the rest of the AL Central in their dust. To accomplish another Central Division title, the Tigers used a mostly veteran roster, and besides a few relievers and a small appearance from Casper Wells who was later traded to Seattle, the Tigers really didn’t introduce any prospects to the majors for a lengthy period of time.

The most significant thing to happen to the farm system came when they traded four prospects to Seattle for Doug Fister, in a trade that certainly played a significant role in their second-half surge. The Tigers, however, paid a price as they lost Wells, closer-to-be Chance Ruffin, Charlie Furbush, and another hitting prospect in Francisco Martinez. While none of those were “star” prospects, they were all solid prospects that could see the majors at some point, with Martinez the one with the highest potential.

As for those remaining within the Tigers farm system, it was mostly a disappointing season. Top prospects Jacob Turner and Nick Castellanos performed well, and Turner even made a few major-league appearances late in the season. Otherwise, Drew Smyly and Casey Crosby were part of the few who held or improved their stock. And without a first-round pick, the Tigers weren’t really able to add much talent, though they did make a few solid selections that bolstered the farm system.

While the Tigers will probably remain the class of the Central next season, the hold could be tenuous, and other than Turner and Smyly, there doesn’t seem to be much help that will be immediately available. But with a large payroll, you don’t always need a great farm system, and the Tigers have always been willing to spend in the draft, though it’d be nice for the farm system if they kept their first-round picks.

Elite

Jacob Turner     SP

Bats/Throws:     R/R

Height/Weight:     6’5/210

Age/Level (as of 4/2012):     20/MLB

Projection:     1/2

Turner is still young and has developing left to do, but he’s seriously talented and has already made his major-league debut. With a fastball in the low-to-mid-90s with sink, a hammer curve, and an improving change-up, Turner has everything he needs to be a successful pitcher, but one wonders if he isn’t being rushed. While has good stuff and plenty of projection (big frame, lean), he still needs to work on his change, consistency with his secondary pitches, and command. He certainly has the frame, smooth and athletic mechanics, and work ethic to make that happen, and you can make the argument that he can still learn those things in the majors. I’d just like to see him in AAA for most of 2012, but it would be hard to argue he’s not one of the five best Tigers pitchers, I’m guessing.

Enough with all these player mustaches, it is time to let the managers have their crack at the second round of Movember MLB Mustache Madness.  Kicking things off, two active managers who probably wish there respective franchises were in as good a condition as their mustaches.

Eric Wedge

Wedge wiped the floor with Jim Leyland in round one, but can his stellar 'stache really best one of the most famous baseball lip brooms ever?

VS.

Wade Boggs

Even might Kirk Gibson was no match for the mighty Mattingly.  The only way Donnie Baseball loses now is if Frank McCourt auctions off Mattingly's mustache to get out of bankruptcy.

Time to vote! (one vote per matchup per day)

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On the heels of signing Jim Thome last Friday, the Philadelphia Phillies have made their second big move of the 2011 offseason, re-signing closer Ryan Madson. But the cost for Madson is already causing jeers for GM Ruben Amaro across the internet - four years for $44 million, with a $13 million option for the fifth year. The reaction on Twitter has been harsh, and it's been brutal. But why exactly is this a bad move?

Let me break it down for you. Madson *was* one of the best free agent relievers on the market, ranking second on our Free Agent Primer among all closers. But despite that high rankings, relievers aren't worth eight figure contracts, even top closers. And I'm not even sure Madson is a top closer in baseball. Last year was his only season as a full-time closer, and he saved 32 games. He's pitched in a total of less than 120 innings over the last two seasons, so durability is a concern. Amaro is paying $11 million a season to a pitcher who pitches in less than half of his team's games. Think about that for a minute.

I think there's something in Amaro's geneology that forces him to overpay relievers. After a 41/41 save regular season that saw the Phillies hoist the hardware at the end of the year, Amaro re-signed Brad Lidge to a three year, $37.5 million contract. Lidge was 32 at the time, compared to Madson's 31. Lidge proceeded to throw 123 2/3 innings of 4.73 ERA ball, which is the finest example of the old corollary of "relievers are volatile and you shouldn't overpay them under any circumstances". Now as soon as Amaro gets Lidge's awful contract off of the books, he adds Madson's contract to them. Headslap and facepalm, wrapped up into one.

The $11 million that Madson will be making is the seventh highest yearly total for a reliever in MLB history, behind Mariano Rivera, Lidge, Francisco Rodriguez, Jonathan Papelbon, Joe Nathan, and Francisco Cordero. Aside from Rivera, the greatest reliever of all time, and Papelbon, whose salary was done to combat a higher arbitration award, none of them worked out well for the team at the end of the day. What makes the Madson signing different? In my mind, nothing.

Any GM in baseball who needs a closer is currently cursing Amaro, much like they did three years ago when he set the market price for outfielders too high with his Raul Ibanez signing. The agents for Papelbon and Heath Bell are currently dancing in the streets about the money that they can get their clients now, who are both experienced closers. You mean to tell me that Amaro felt this is what he needed to do to get things done? Sometimes, I just shake my head and wonder.

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The Movember MLB Mustache Madness Former Player bracket marches on.  Two unlikely winners give us a very intriguing corner infield mustache championship battle.

Eddie Murray

UPSET ALERT!  Murry and his stache-to-sideburns combo came out of nowhere to dethrone the legendary Keith Hernandez mustache.  Is this our bracket's first Cinderella story?

VS.

Wade Boggs

In a battle of two of the mightiest mustaches ever, Wade Boggs just squeaked past Mike Schmidt with 55% of the vote.  Can his ginger-stache grind out another victory against the underdog Murray?

Time to vote! (one vote per matchup per day)

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The Movember MLB Mustache Madness Former Player bracket marches on to the middle infield matchup. Here we see a Hall of Famer engaging in whiskered warfare with a guy who arguably should be in the Hall of Fame.  Cooperstown means nothing here though, we only want to know who has the best upper lip umbrella.

Bobby Grich

It took a buzzer-beating victory for Grich to reach this round, besting fellow keystoner Davey Lopes with just 53% of the vote.  Does he have another dramatic win left in his mustache?

VS.

Robin Yount

Never underestimate the power of a good blond-stache.  Alvaro Espinoza did and got beat 81%-19%.  Will Grich make the same mistake?

Time to vote! (one vote per matchup per day)

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The Hot Stove League is officially heating up.  For some teams that means making careful plans for upgrading their roster based off thoughtful planning and complex research.  Others, well, they just hope to use hocum and misdirection.  Take for example the New York Mets:

In other words, if the Mets could find the young, defensive-oriented center fielder they crave plus an arm or two in exchange for [David] Wright, they will seriously consider it.

Or maybe you like this similar story from a different paper:

A National League executive who has spoken with Sandy Alderson recently told The News last week that the GM would have to be “bowled over” to deal Wright before next season, and a Mets person predicted that Wright’s situation would remain “status quo” until then.

Oh, you silly Mets and your not-so-subtle sales tactics.  It is an age old trick used in baseball trades for decades: if you have a player with declining value, just go to the media and try and conjure up some fake value.  That might've worked back when Sandy Alderson first started running ballclubs, but front offices are smarter now and won't be fooled by this media-led smoke and mirrors show.

Sorry, Mets, but your beloved David Wright just doesn't have the trade value you think he has and his true value might not be anywhere close to it either.  Don't believe me?  Let's break it down Mythbusters-style.

There have been rumors this offseason that the Miami Marlins are looking to add a big name free agent this winter. They've been linked to a couple of names that seem a little strange - shortstop Jose Reyes and first baseman Albert Pujols. The only problem with the Marlins signing either of these players is that they've already got players at those positions - Hanley Ramirez and Gaby Sanchez. But signing either of the two would make sense, as it would improve the team offensively. If either player was signed however, the Marlins would need to do a little position switching with their incumbent players.

We'll start off at shortstop, where Reyes is the top name on the market. Signing the oft-injured Reyes would allow Ramirez, who before this season was the pinnacle of health, to shift to center field, a much more demanding position physically. Ramirez is not a good defender at short, and shifting him to center would allow the Marlins to take advantage of his athleticism more. In 2011, center field for the Marlins was manned by Mike Cameron, Brian Petersen, DeWayne Wise, and Chris Coghlan. The quartet combined for 2.9 fWAR. A healthy Ramirez in center and a healthy Reyes at short would be a huge offensive boost for the team.

Now at first base, the Marlins are linked to Pujols rather strongly, in addition to being linked to Prince Fielder and Carlos Pena a little less strongly. Signing any of those top free agents would leave Gaby Sanchez without a job. But then again, Sanchez had just a .779 OPS at first this season. That's not good for first base. It would however, be good at third base, where Sanchez has been rumored to be shifting positions to. Last season was a horror show for the Marlins at third base, with Greg Dobbs, Jose Lopez, Donnie Murphy, Matt Dominguez and Wes Helms getting time at the hot corner and actually hurting the team, cumulatively subtracting -0.2 fWAR from the team. Sanchez looks like a bonafide All-Star in comparison.

One name that appears to be left out in the cold, especially if the Marlins sign both a first baseman and Reyes, is former NL Rookie of the Year Coghlan. Well simply put, if the Marlins only sign one of the free agents, Coghlan can play the position that would be open on the team. He's an outfielder by trade, and played 568 innings in center last season. He came up in the minor leagues as a second baseman, and has had some experience playing third as well. But then again, is Coghlan even in the team's future plans? After winning the Rookie of the Year award in 2009 with an .850 OPS, he slumped to .718 in 2010, and .664 in 2011. His games played have also fallen in each season, from 128 to 91 to 65. Maybe the Marlins just aren't even figuring him into their full-time plans at this point in time.

One thing is definitely for certain: regardless of any free agent signings, payroll will be on the rise in Miami in 2012. The team already has $49.75 million in payroll allocated, after having a total of $57.695 million in 2011. That 2012 payroll doesn't take into account the ten players the team has eligible for arbitration, all of whom will be receiving raises, some of which are sizable. I wouldn't be surprised to see this team with a payroll north of $70 million before free agent signings. Could the Marlins really end up with a higher payroll than division rival Atlanta? It's certainly a possibility. And honestly, I'd love to see it, because with a new stadium, new logo, and new uniforms coming in 2012, the culture in Miami needs to change. The Marlins can no longer be the spendthrift organization they've been in the past if they want to thrive in their new digs.

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The Movember MLB Mustache Madness Former Player bracket marches on.  Let this next pair of winners be a lesson to you all that name recognition isn't enough.

Sal Fasano

Say hello to the ugly mug of our biggest winner of the first round!  Fasano made short work of pretty boy Piazza by garnering 93% of the vote.

VS.

Sam Thompson

Old school reigns supreme.  Thompson will try to keep on representing the 19th century on through to the next round.

Time to vote! (one vote per matchup per day)

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Round 2 of the Movember MLB Mustache Madness Former Player bracket is officially under way!  We start things off with a clash of two mustachioed pitching titans, both of whom are coming off some of the most lopsided victories in the entire first round.

Rollie Fingers

Fingers easily won the former player relief pitcher matchup by cooking Gossage's goose 92% to 8%.  Now Rollie will try to keep on rolling over against his former teammate.

VS.

Pete Vuckovich

The Vuke destroyed Jack Morris by gobbling up 89% of the vote.  But does his 'stache have what it takes for flatten Rollie?  Either way, I'm sure Brewer fans are going to be happy.

Time to vote! (one vote per matchup per day)

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Here's the fourth installment of the Top 10 lists (check the header for the others as well as the explanation), with special thanks to our own Garrett Wilson from Monkey With a Halo.

Due to a variety of injuries, production issues, and normal promotions, the Los Angeles Angels farm system looks worse than it did last season, but it’s not all bad. When Kendrys (I think that’s what it was changed to or was to begin with or whatever, right?) Morales went down, Mark Trumbo filled in ably. Tyler Chatwood responded when Scott Kazmir apparently forgot what pitching was. Jordan Walden cemented a spot in the bullpen. Hank Conger got his chain yanked again, but he still has a promising future. And Mike Trout even got some time, though he remains a “prospect” as he only had 123 at-bats at the major-league level (130 is the cut-off). Infusing the major-league team with young talent is the goal of every farm system, so in that way, this year was a success.

Down on the farm, there wasn’t much luck, but there were a few solid performances. Trout continued his domination of the minor leagues. CJ Cron and Nick Maronde made successful debuts after signing. Garrett Richards performed well and earned a major-league promotion. And Luis Jimenez continued to hit.

But the Angels’ system had their fair share of injuries and stalls, highlighted by Jean Segura, Cam Bedrosian, Fabio Martinez Mesa, and Randal Grichuk who spent the majority or all of the season injured. Chevez Clarke took a step back. If you are looking for a bright side, however, all of those players were young and, with the exception of Martinez Mesa, did not suffer injuries that should seriously alter their ceilings.

Though the Angels farm system doesn’t look particularly good at the moment, there’s still quite a bit of hope. Trout, Segura, and CJ Cron have All-Star potential, and Kaleb Cowart and Cam Bedrosian have some exciting developing to do. There is quite a bit of talent in the lower levels, and with some better seasons, the system can look much better without adding much else, though that would obviously help. With a pretty solid major-league team and a healthy payroll, the Angels don’t need a massive influx of cheap talent, but it would help to reload over the next few years with strong drafts.

Elite

Mike Trout     CF

Bats/Throws:     R/R

Height/Weight:     6’1/200

Age/Level (as of 4/2012):     20/MLB or AAA

Projection:     5+ WAR

A whole 7 at-bats shy of not being a prospect any longer (130 is the cut-off), Mike Trout is still one of the best prospects in the game. His 80 speed is his calling card, and it helps him cover a lot of ground in center for plus defense. What’s so shocking about that is that he’s built like a linebacker, which makes scouts believe he could develop average or more power as he gets older to go along with a plus hit tool and an advanced approach. About the only thing not to like is his arm, which is fringe-average, but that’s nitpicking. Trout had a rough introduction to the major leagues, but there’s absolutely no reason that should continue. He only turned 20 on August 7^th, after all.