The Tigers are in the midst of their search for [2008 shortstop Edgar] Renteria's successor. Detroit is involved in "ongoing" discussions with the Pittsburgh Pirates regarding shortstop Jack Wilson, according to one industry official familiar with the talks.
The teams have not yet exchanged concrete trade proposals, the official said, but there appears to be genuine interest on both sides.
The Tigers have declined to offer arbitration to Renteria, which comes as no surprise given the way he played last year.
The Tigers' farm system is, unfortunately, pretty rough, due in part to the trades for Renteria and Miguel Cabrera last offseason. They do have a couple of shortstop prospects in Danny Worth and Cale Iorg, but I don't see either of those guys as good bets to be starters in the majors. (Again, I don't think the Pirates need to get a shortstop here, but it wouldn't surprise me if they tried to get one.) Their best bet in a trade with the Tigers might be to try to grab a live arm or two, but the starting pitching prospects who are posting the most interesting numbers (Jon Kibler and maybe Duane Below) are apparently doing so more with polish than with stuff. (I'm ignoring Rick Porcello, of course, since the Tigers definitely aren't going to trade him for Wilson.) Here's a pretty good list of the Tigers' best prospects.