ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Rule 5 Draft isn't until next month, but the Detroit Tigers have just a few more days to protect players on the 40-man roster before Monday's deadline.
The Tigers have nine open spots, but they can't use all of them, and general manager Al Avila said the discussions about who to leave unprotected have been "excruciating and painful."
"This may be one of the toughest years," he said during a break in this week's General Managers' Meetings. "You can only have 40 guys. It's a tough process right now."
Avila said much of his time spent huddling with his front office staff has been debating the pros and cons of various players.