Alex Avila News

Dusty Ryan is headed to San Diego. The Detroit Tigers traded catcher Dusty Ryan to the San Diego Padres for a player to be named later or cash considerations, the team announced today.

The Tigers signed catcher Robinzon Diaz to a minor league contract. It is mostly just a depth move, but it does give the Tigers a few options behind Gerald Laird in 2010.

Robinzon Diaz is catching insurance for the Detroit Tigers, who won't decide whether Alex Avila is best suited for the backup role until spring training.

The winter meetings open today, and it could be a busy week for the Tigers. General manager Dave Dombrowski needs to find a way to fill the team's needs and sign arbitration-eligible players without further bloating the payroll.

Five-Star Prospects 1. Jacob Turner, RHP 2. Casey Crosby, LHP Four-Star Prospects 3. Scott Sizemore , 2B Three-Star Prospects 4. Daniel Fields, SS 5. Andy Oliver, LHP 6. Alex Avila , C 7. Cody Satterwhite, RHP 8. Wilkin Ramirez Ryan Strieby , 1B 10.

Former Tigers infielder Tom Brookens is headed back to Detroit, this time to join manager Jim Leyland's coaching staff as the new first-base, outfield and baserunning coach.

The Marcus Thames era in Detroit is over. According to Jason Beck, the Tigers have removed both Thames and catcher Matt Treanor from the roster.

John Lowe breaks down the Tigers by position: Catcher: With his strong throwing arm, Gerald Laird became even more of a defensive asset than imagined.

Detroit -- Dave Dombrowski, the Tigers' president and general manager, began his Thursday address at Comerica Park by informing a media crowd that this would 'not be a press conference.' And then he talked for an hour about every facet of the team, beginning with Miguel Cabrera's weekend drinking binge, and ending with commentary on catching ...

Detroit's Aubrey Huff, left, and Alex Avila watch from the dugout during the ninth inning of the Tigers' 8-0 loss Friday night to the White Sox.

Detroit -- Yeah, but if you won those Russian Nutcracker tickets, it wasn't a complete loss.

Jake Peavy delivered the kind of performance the Detroit Tigers desperately need.

Photo Wire Detroit Tigers' Aubrey Huff, left, and Alex Avila watch from the dugout in the ninth inning of their 8-0 loss to the Chicago White Sox in a baseball game Friday, Oct.

Eddie Bonine's night went from an unlikely no-hit bid to a hard-luck loss in one swing of Gordon Beckham's bat.

Contrary to his demeanor, Gerald Laird gets frustrated at the plate. The struggles eat at him as the Tigers approach the home stretch.

And he's loving every minute of it. Huff hit a pinch-hit three-run home run to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth inning, and Brandon Inge scored on an error in the 10th to give the Tigers a 6-5 win Monday night against the Toronto Blue Jays .

Jays 6-5 on Monday night. Pinch-hitter Aubrey Huff belted a tying three-run homer in the ninth and Ryan Raburn also went deep for the American League Central-leading Tigers.

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Great, I expect the Tigers to name their Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Year soon.

A year ago, the Tigers had no clue about their 2009 catching situation. And that's because they hadn't yet acquired Gerald Laird and Matt Treanor.

Detroit -- A botched double play ball technically won it for the Tigers, but everyone will remember Aubrey Huff's contribution much, much more.