As the Tigers make the final roster cuts before opening day, one of the key factors that may come into play in filling the last few roster spots will be which players have an "option" left, that will allow the club to send them to the minor leagues without first passing through waivers.

What is an "option"? An option is the term that is used when a club sends a player to the minor leagues on optional assignment. Once a player is placed on the club’s 40 man roster, he may be "optioned" to the minors in only three different seasons without clearing waivers. Quite often, this is the deciding factor in keeping a player in the major leagues. A complete description of options is here.

Within four of five years of the date that a player signs his first pro contract (depending on his age when he signs), he must be added to his club’s 40-man roster or exposed to the other clubs in the Rule 5 draft. Once added to the 40 man roster, a player may be optioned in three different seasons without clearing waivers. This includes sending a player down at the start of the season, when the 25 man major league roster has been selected, or sending a player down at any time during the season. Once optioned during a season, the player may be recalled and sent down multiple times, but only one option is used up for that season.

After being optioned in three separate seasons, a player may no longer be sent to the minor leagues without first clearing waivers, where the club risks losing the player to any club that claims the player for only a nominal waiver fee. Clubs will often trade players that are out of options, rather than risk losing them.

Options are not a consideration once a player has accumulated five years of service time in the major leagues. Those players can not be sent to the minors without their consent, regardless of how many times they have been optioned in the past. Twelve Tiger veterans have five years or more of service time.

How do options impact the Tigers in 2012? The great majority of the players that are vying for the last few spots on the major league roster this spring do have at least one option year left. But there are some players that are out of options and those players are vying for the last couple of roster spots this spring. For these players, this could be their last chance to play for the Tigers.

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By the time the Tigers drafted Andy Oliver in the second round of the 2009 draft, the hard throwing lefty already had a wealth of experience under his belt. He had been drafted by the Twins, pitched two years for Oklahoma State, ruled ineligible by the NCAA, sued the NCAA and won, and pitched a year of pro ball in an international league while he awaited a decision on his amateur status.

Oliver was drafted by the Twins as a high school prospect in the 17th round of the 2006 draft, but he did not sign, instead choosing to attend Oklahoma State. Oliver quickly rose to the top of prospect lists, being chosen All Big 12, and second team All American in 2008. Following that, he pitched for Team USA during the summer, made four starts and was 2-0 with a 0.93 ERA and recorded 24 strikeouts in 19.1 innings. Oliver was a part of a Team USA club that led the United States to a 24-0 record and a gold medal at the FISU World Championships.

Controversy came when Oliver enlisted an agent to gauge his professional credentials before his college eligibility had expired. The NCAA ruled him ineligible for the 2009 season. He sued the NCAA and won a landmark decision. The controversy did not deter the Tigers from taking Oliver in the second round, after choosing Jacob Turner in the first round of the same draft. Turner received a signing bonus of $4.7 million plus a major league contract. Oliver received a bonus of $1.5 million that was more than double the slot recommendation for the 58th overall pick in the draft.

Both pitchers immediately were listed among the top five prospects in the Tiger organization, with Turner a near unanimous No. 1 overall. Baseball America ranked Oliver third in the Tiger system at the beginning of the 2011 season, behind only Turner and Castellanos. Expectations were that he'd be in the majors sooner than Turner, as he was a couple of years older and had some college experience.

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There's not a lot of news going around today, but that should all change in three days...

Detroit Links:

Drew Smyly May Be Tigers' Best Option for Fifth Spot - Motor City Bengals, John Parent
While Smyly seems the most composed of the conglomerate of arms vying for the Tigers' 5th starter spot, I'd actually argue that Andrew Oliver is the most MLB-ready in terms of pure talent and "stuff" (yeah yeah, blasphemy and all). Be sure to check back in a few hours for Oliver's profile from Tigerdog1.

What Can You Actually Expect from Ryan Raburn? - Walk Off Woodward, Josh Worn
Doc profiles the always mercurial Ryan Raburn, who is anywhere from amazing to terrible, depending on the BYB commenter you're asking.

FOX announces five Detroit Tigers games to be regionally televised, blackouts expected - MLive, James Schmehl
You know those Saturdays that everyone hates because you can't watch the Tigers game due to stupid blackout rules? Well, there's at least five of them already scheduled. Best idea for alternative entertainment in those game threads wins an "Adam Dunn 2011 Batting Title Champion" t-shirt.

ESPN ranks Tigers No. 12 for five-year success outlook - The Detroit News
It looks like ESPN fails to realize that you can re-sign guys like Justin Verlander, Alex Avila, and Doug Fister when their contracts expire. Otherwise, this ranking is a joke.

104-year-old metro Detroit woman who attended first Tigers game last year dies - Detroit Free Press, Joe Rossiter
Mary Johnson, who many may remember from her interview with Fox Sports Detroit during her first Tigers game, passed away last Saturday.

2012 Fantasy Baseball Rankings & Projections - ESPN
I hate to ruin the surprise... ok, not really. Miguel Cabrera is the top player on ESPN's fantasy baseball projection list because of his potential for eligibility at third base. I think it's safe to say that the first pick in BYB's fantasy draft (details coming soon) will be in very high demand.

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The Tigers drafted Drew Smyly as a sophomore out of the University of Arkansas with their second pick in the June, 2010 amateur player draft. One season later, the 6-foot-3 left handed pitcher is poised to make a run at filling the final spot in the Tigers major league rotation this spring. The Tigers’ minor league pitcher of the year is one of several lefties who would like to begin the 2012 season at the back end of the Tiger rotation.

After just one season of professional baseball, a season that began at Advanced-A Lakeland and finished up at Double-A Erie, Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski says that there are some within the Tiger organization that believe Smyly is ready for the major leagues right now. If his minor league statistics are any indication, they may be right. Smyly posted an impressive 2.58 ERA in 14 starts at Lakeland, and an even more impressive 1.18 ERA in seven starts when he was promoted to AA Erie.

Between his two stops on the minor league trail during the 2011 season, Smyly struck out 130 batters in 126.1 innings of work, while walking just 36 and allowing only two home runs to opposing hitters. He is not an extreme ground ball pitcher, but he induces more grounders than fly balls, and he features a good fastball that he can throw consistently for strikes in the low 90's. He then pitched for Team USA in the Baseball World Cup last October.

Jonathan Mayo at MLB.com ranks Smyly No. 82 on his list of top 100 prospects, tenth among left handed pitchers, and he had this to say about Drew.

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Four days ...

Detroit Tigers agree on one-year contracts with Duane Below, five other players -- MLive.com, James Schmehl
Good news for a few of Detriot's young guns. Duane Below and Casey Crosby are among seven Tigers to get one-year contracts yesterday. Both are expected to compete for the fifth spot in the rotation.

Tigers left-handers get an early start -- The Detroit News, Lynn Henning
The main thing I love about this article is how excited it gets me for Sunday. When I read about players starting to arrive at their respective spring training facilities, I get all warm and fuzzy inside.

Do Royals Have The Rotation To Compete With Tigers? -- Baseball Nation, Rob Neyer
Signing free agent Roy Oswalt to a short-term contract makes a lot of sense for the Royals, in my opinion. But it doesn't look they have any desire to make a deal. And while relying on young talent can be rewarding, it's also incredibly risky.

Serendipity could propel the Detroit Tigers to a magical championship season -- Through The Fence Baseball, Jed Rogney
"If we’re all sitting around our TVs in late October watching the Detroit Tigers celebrate their World Series championship, it won’t just be that so-and-so pitched great or just that so-and-so hit a lot home runs or just that the team played great defense. It will also be because of Victor Martinez’s sudden injury, Prince Fielder’s surprise signing and a thousand other "lucky" things that needed to happen." Umm, OK. It might also have a little to do with talent. But, whatever. We can agree to disagree.

Detroit Tigers' Miguel Cabrera named top third baseman heading into 2012 season by MLB Network -- MLive.com, Justin Rogers
I really feel like I'm beating a dead horse with this one, but if you put aside his offensive assault last season, Cabrera was wicked impressive at first base. And trust me, I know the hot corner is completely different, but I think a lot of people are going to be surprised by his quickness and hopefully new found agility on the field.

Tigers great Willie Horton wants to see Cecil, Prince Fielder mend fences -- The Detroit News, Terry Foster
I love Willie Horton, and I have no doubt he feels very strongly about this particular topic. Heck, he's not in the least bit wrong about what he's saying. I'm just not sure Cecil or Prince care what he thinks. And I'm not really sure it's his place to try to play therapist.

Tigers to hold tryout camp March 5 -- Beck's Blog, Jason Beck
C'mon, you know you guys are tempted. Heck, I'm tempted. And I hear the fifth spot in the rotation is up for grabs.

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The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional, or LVBP) has a very similar format to the Dominican League (if you need a refresher, my Dominican wrap-up is here). The LVBP consists of eight teams: Aguilas del Zulia, Bravos de Margarita, Cardenales de Lara, Caribes de Anzoategui (the team that Magglio Ordoñez is part owner of), Leones del Caracas, Navegantes del Magallanes, Tiburones de la Guaira, and Tigres de Aragua. Their regular season is made up of 63 games from mid-October to the end of December (and like the Dominican league, there are no divisions, so it's a balanced schedule). The top five teams make the playoffs, which is a 16-game round robin. The top two teams after that play a best-of-seven final, and the champion goes on to play in the Caribbean Series. And like the Dominican league, there is a selection draft after each round (though this year's selection draft before the final was wrought with controversy, mostly involving an "old friend" of ours who recently signed with the Baltimore Orioles). Also, each team's roster consists of 34 players, which generally means that starting pitchers (and relievers, to a lesser extent) have a much shorter leash than they would in the United States. A good start from a pitcher would generally consist of 5-6 innings. A seven-inning start is unusual, and anything beyond that is extremely rare (I don't think there were any complete games this season; I know there was one last season, but that was because the starting pitcher threw a no-hitter).

More details and player analysis below the jump...

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As I already mentioned in today's link dump, BYB grandfather Ian Casselberry wrote a post at Big League Stew about the best things about being a Tigers fan. While I doubt that anyone here would argue with the 10 things on his list, there are countless other reasons of why people love this team so much.

One glaring omission that many have already pointed out is Ernie Harwell. Even the majority of younger members here have fond memories of listening to Mr. Harwell at some point. If anything, he's above this list, a timeless individual that will never be forgotten among the Tiger faithful.

Another that I would add is James Earl Van Horn, better known as "Eat 'em Up Tigers Guy." I make sure to walk by Mr. Van Horn before every Tigers game I attend, if only to fist bump his giant hand holding the cup of change that provides the musical accompaniment to his gravely chant.

Before I take any other ideas, I turn it over to you. What are your favorite things about being a Tigers fan?

There are only 5 days until pitchers and catchers report, so get in the mood for the real holiday with 15 great things about baseball.

Tigers links:

The 10 best things about being a Detroit Tigers fan - Big League Stew, Ian Casselberry
Former BYB overlord Ian Casselberry came up with 10 of the best things about being a Tigers fan. While "Eat 'em up, Tigers" guy is a glaring omission, we'll let it slide for an otherwise spot-on list.

Derek Jeter: Tigers a 'great team' that's now 'even better' - Detroit Free Press
If The Captain (Not That Captain) is impressed with this version of the Tigers, then clearly we're destined for greatness (/sarcasm).

The Gift Of The 2003 Tigers - Baseball Nation, Grant Brisbee
While I appreciate the sentiment of the article, I'm hoping that the 2012 Tigers provide an even better gift to the city of Detroit: a championship.

Tigers Release Cody Satterwhite - Motor City Bengals, John Verburg
Yet another reason why drafting relievers in the first... oh, 50 (or so) rounds of the draft is a bad idea. (h/t wilsonm24for the fanshot)

Country Strong Tigers Q&A with Aaron Westlake - Country Strong Tigers
Westlake, the Tigers' 3rd round pick in 2011, played his college ball at Vanderbilt. He's also on Twitter, so make sure to give him a follow.

Justin Verlander would like Kate Upton to teach him how to throw a circle change - Detroit4lyfe
Emily Yuen might not be too happy with her boyfriend's enthusiasm in the latest MLB 2K12 promo, also featuring swimsuit model (and Michigan native) Kate Upton.

Manhole explosion rocks Max Fisher music venue in Detroit - Detroit News, Josh Katzenstein
This isn't Tigers-related, but when a manhole explodes because of a build-up of methane gas, you can't NOT link that. (I am so getting fired for this...)

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