"They're far from Hollywood in mind, spirit and actual distance, but if the Tigers end up winning their division, it could be their central casting that does it.

General manager Dave Dombrowski was up front from the start after last year about the Tigers' approach. They were going to be aggressive in pursuing players they thought could help them.

And whether it was retaining their own, or signing other free agents, they were.

No offseason is ever the same.

Sometimes the cast gets tweaked. Sometimes it gets overhauled. Sometimes in between.

The Tigers head into the 2011 season after a winter in between.

The result is they look different, yet familiar.

They've changed, selectively.

They've made significant moves, yet didn't have that many gaps to fill.

Heading into the offseason, the prevailing thought was that the Tigers were looking for a) a middle-of-the-lineup hitter b) a dependable set-up man c) a proven left-handed reliever and d) a starting pitcher who wouldn't break the bank."