Q: After their disappointing 2008, what do you think of the Tigers' prospects in 2009?
— Steve T. Sobel, Farmington, Mich.

A: When you lose 88 games with a $130-million payroll, disappointing is putting it mildly, Steve. As a native of the Detroit area who still has friends and relatives there, I've heard a lot of complaining and whining, believe me.

And that's why I'm a bit confused by what's been coming out of Jim Leyland's mouth lately. First, he was quoted as saying, 'with the year we've had, I stunk.' No argument there. Then, he said he was disappointed when his contract wasn't extended beyond the 2009 season.

Granted, Leyland's lame-duck status could hurt the search for a new pitching coach this off-season, and create some clubhouse uncertainty next season. But looking at his record in Detroit — great in 2006, a second-half fade in 2007 and a bitterly disappointing 2008 — I don't think an extension was warranted. There's nothing wrong with creating a little urgency, and that's what general manager Dave Dombrowski has done for 2009.

Now, on to the roster. It was a smart move not to pick up shortstop Edgar Renteria's option. He's on the downside, and isn't a $11-million player anymore — and incidentally, giving up Jair Jurrjens and Gorky Hernandez for him will go down as one of Dombrowski's worst moves.

Orlando Cabrera could be a possible short-term replacement, as the White Sox are expected to move Alexei Ramirez to shortstop, and the Tigers have top prospect Cale Iorg on the way. But if not Cabrera, there will be other quality choices at much less than Renteria's price tag.

A closer is perhaps the biggest need, so that makes a shot at free-agent Frankie Rodriguez a possibility. But the payroll has topped out, so then again, maybe not. But this much we know — a proven, quality option will be added to in-house possibilities Fernando Rodney and Joel Zumaya.

With Brandon Inge staying at third base, a full-time catcher is another big need. Here's a thought: The always-in-need-of-pitching Rangers have a surplus behind the plate with Gerald Laird, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Taylor Teegarden, and the Tigers have a surplus of quality arms in their system.

One way or the other, it's going to be an eventful off-season for the Tigers.

Q: I've been a Yankees fan for almost 59 years, and I just can't figure out why they let Joe Torre leave. Can you explain it?
— Ralph Sanchez, Brandon, Fla.

A: You're asking me to explain the Steinbrenners' way of thinking, and that's a little beyond my capabilities, Ralph. Joking aside, sometimes, change needs to be made just for the sake of change.

And there's no doubting that things had grown stale with the Yankees. Even with Torre, they had gone out in the first round of the playoffs three consecutive years in a row after the 2004 ALCS collapse against Boston, and the roster has been getting older and older.

All that said, I don't like how things were handled. Torre was offered a one-year deal with incentives depending on how far the Yankees advanced in the postseason — as if he needed any incentive to want to win.

He took it as a slap in the face, and I don't blame him. And that proved to be the last straw in a long-contentious relationship. As Torre has proved with the Dodgers, he hasn't lost anything and remains one of the best managers in the game. So, it was a great move for him, and he hasn't been shy about saying that on numerous occasions this season.

And as for the Yankees, they needed Torre more than he needed them. Joe Girardi has a chance to be a good manager down the road, but isn't Torre at this point. But in fairness to him, this is a team whose nucleus has grown old together, and needs to be reinvigorated this off-season.

Just like the Tigers, I believe you'll see the Yankees be very busy this winter — especially with about $60 million coming off their payroll and their new stadium on the way.

Q: Did Bud Selig intentionally help the Brewers get into the playoffs by forcing the Astros to play the Cubs in Milwaukee two days after Hurricane Ike devastated the Texas gulf coast?
— Joe S. Ortiz, San Antonio

A: There are reasons to fault the commissioner here, Joe. But no, I don't think his plan was to intentionally benefit his former team's chances in the wild card.

There's no doubt, the Astros got screwed here. Part of it was unavoidable — a natural disaster called Hurricane Ike. The rest of the blame lied in the indecision on the parts of Selig and Astros owner Drayton McLane to move the games earlier in the week.

McLane didn't want to lose the home games (and their gates), and you can't blame him to a certain degree. But making a decision earlier in that week would have opened up more options as to where to play those games.

Milwaukee — bad call that it was — ended up being a last resort when the call finally was made.

And one more thing: As much as I sympathize with the Astros (and their families), the fact is that they had two more weeks of games to play after those two in Milwaukee. There was time for them to overcome that very unfortunate set of circumstances, but they didn't do so.

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