DETROIT -- The Tigers bid good-bye to outfielder/designated hitter Marcus Thames on Friday when they removed him from the 40-man roster. Thames is now a free agent.
General manager Dave Dombrowski indicated the club wouldn't attempt to re-sign Thames, 32.
"We could have retained him by keeping him on the roster," Dombrowski said. "Marcus has done a very fine job for us. He's a quality human being."
But Dombrowski said the outfield depth -- especially with the emergence of Ryan Raburn -- crowded out Thames. Dombrowski downplayed Thames' eligibility for salary arbitration as a reason for his departure.
"We need to make some moves," Dombrowski said of creating room on the 40-man roster for the top minor league players. Players on the 40-man roster can't be taken by another club in the annual professional draft in December.
In a telephone interview, Thames said he understood the roster crunch that led to his departure. "I'll bounce back big with somebody else," he said.
Falling short: Although the Tigers have an opening at shortstop, they weren't involved in the trade talks for shortstop J.J. Hardy, whom Milwaukee dealt Friday to the Twins for outfielder Carlos Gomez . In an e-mail to the Free Press, Milwaukee general manager Doug Melvin said he didn't contact the Tigers about Hardy because they didn't have what he sought in return. "I was looking specifically for a centerfielder or pitching that was low (in) salary and low (in) service time," Melvin said. "I did not see a match so I did not call" the Tigers. Adam Everett, the Tigers' primary shortstop this season, is headed to free agency. Everett said in a phone interview this week that he'd love to return to the Tigers.
More moves: The club removed two other players from the 40-man roster: catcher Matt Treanor (who becomes a free agent, but whom Dombrowski didn't rule out returning as the No. 2 catcher) and infielder Michael Hollimon (who stays in the farm system but becomes eligible for the major league draft). The club added minor league right-handed reliever Jay Sborz to the 40-man roster.
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