The Tigers apparently are eyeballing Chicago Cubs utilityman Jeff Baker. It would make sense. His best position is second base, but he has played extensively at third base in his career. He is a solid .275 career hitter (.306 this season) and has experience in a pennant race with Colorado in 2007. He is an arbitration eligible player, who is making $1.1 million on a one-year contract this year. He will not be eligible for free agency after this season. His agent is uber-agent Scott Boras, which might scare off some clubs, but not the Tigers, who have had many successful dealings with Boras in the past.

- Evidence strongly suggests Ryan Raburn, a source of constant consternation for Tiger fans this season, is a better second-half hitter than first-half hitter.
His career batting average in the first half of seasons is .223. It's .291 in the second half.
In 2010, he hit .208 in the first half and .315 in the second half. In 2009, he hit .269 in the first half and .310 in the second half.
Raburn is hitting .286 in July.