The Tigers are looking to shore up their 40-man roster in preparation for the Rule 5 draft and that roster won't include Casey Fien or Eddie Bonine this year, as they have signed with other teams.
RHP Casey Fien, who has journeyed to several teams and a Justin Bieber concert over the past year, signed a minor-league deal with the Houston Astros. The 2006, 20th round Tigers draft pick only saw 2 2/3 innings with the big club last year, during which he allowed three runs on four hits. He's had a very solid minor league career, though, and it's a wonder when, or if, that will ever translate to the bigs.
Another RHP, Eddie Bonine, was also left unprotected by the Tigers, and he subsequently signed a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies. Bonine has eaten almost 130 innings in three years with the Tigers, but leaves a lot to be desired.
The Tigers also decided to remove long-time minor league Canadian catcher Max St. Pierre from their 40-man roster, but re-signed him a few days later. St. Pierre finally got the call to the big leagues last year after spending 14 seasons and over 1,000 games in the minors. He only had two hits in nine at bats in six games, but serves as the back-up to Alex Avila under the current make up of the Tigers 40-man roster. That will not last long, though, as signing four-time All-Star catcher Victor Martinez seems to be the Tigers first priority this off-season.