The Tigers rode the adrenaline of their first World Series appearance since 1984 to a quick start out of the gate in 2007. Then, they collapsed down the stretch, falling out of the race before September and finishing eight games behind the first-place Indians.

But instead of sitting on their hands and hoping their luck turns around, the Tigers responded to their near miss with a furious re-tooling job. They made the biggest splash of the offseason, trading most of their farm system for the Marlins' two highest profile (and highest paid) players, third baseman Miguel Cabrera and starting pitcher Dontrelle Willis. They also traded for new left fielder Jacque Jones and new shortstop Edgar Renteria, who allows the oft-injured Carlos Guillen to move to first base.

Unfortunately, their collapse had to do more with pitching than hitting. Jeremy Bonderman faded, in part because of pinched cartilage in his right elbow, and the Tigers and Fantasy owners alike have to take a blind leap of faith he'll return to form. The acquisition of Willis helps, but he had struggles in his own right a year ago, and Kenny Rogers and Nate Robertson have a propensity for hitting bats. And the bullpen? Forget it. Todd Jones closes more on reputation than ability, and the team's most talented reliever, Joel Zumaya, tore up his shoulder moving furniture. At least Justin Verlander has established himself as a sure-fire Fantasy ace.

Heading into spring training, the Tigers have perhaps the most finalized team in all of baseball and one of the easiest to read for Fantasy purposes. Their offseason acquisitions makes their lineup potentially devastating -- it finished third in the league in runs scored last year, after all -- and you have to think their pitchers will improve their win totals as a result.

Spring position battles

Cleanup hitter -- Magglio Ordonez vs. Miguel Cabrera and Gary Sheffield

This decision probably doesn't mean much for Fantasy. The trio will bat three, four and five in some order, meaning each player will have ample RBI opportunities. If nothing else, the No. 3 hitter will collect the most at-bats. And we might normally say the No. 5 hitter will have the least protection, but Guillen, batting sixth, is certainly no slouch. For what it's worth, early indications have the Tigers going Cabrera, Ordonez and Sheffield.

Leadoff hitter -- Curtis Granderson vs. Edgar Renteria

Manager Jim Leyland has already suggested he'll keep Granderson in the leadoff spot, meaning the 27-year-old has the potential to score upwards of 130 runs in that lineup. Then again, Leyland likes to tinker, so you have to expect Renteria and even Ivan Rodriguez will but up top on occasion -- particularly against left-handed pitchers. A slide down further in the order would increase Granderson's RBI opportunities, but again, in such a deep lineup, he might get his fair share batting leadoff too.

Detroit Tigers Outlook
Projected lineup Pos. Projected Rotation
1 Curtis Granderson CF 1 Justin Verlander RH
2 Placido Polanco 2B 2 Jeremy Bonderman RH
3 Miguel Cabrera 3B 3 Dontrelle Willis LH
4 Magglio Ordonez RF 4 Kenny Rogers LH
5 Gary Sheffield DH 5 Nate Robertson LH
6 Carlos Guillen 1B Alt Yorman Bazardo RH
7 Edgar Renteria SS Top bullpen arms
8 Jacque Jones LF CL Todd Jones RH
9 Ivan Rodriguez C SU Fernando Rodney RH
Top bench options RP Tim Byrdak LH
R Brandon Inge 3B RP Jason Grilli RH
R Marcus Thames OF RP Zach Miner RH
Rookies/Prospects Age Pos. 2007 high Destination
1 Yorman Bazardo 23 RH SP Majors Triple-A
A candidate to open year in bullpen, but a starter down the road.
2 Virgil Vasquez 25 RH SP Majors Triple-A
Awful results in bigs last year moves Bazardo ahead in pecking order.
3 Jeff Larish 25 1B Double-A Triple-A
Getting old, but has great power and draws a lot of walks.
4 Rick Porcello 19 RH SP DNP Class A
Recently drafted; signability problems dropped big talent to Tigers.
5 Jordan Tata 26 RH SP Majors Triple-A
Running out of time; will need a string of injuries to make impact.
Best of the rest: SS Michael Hollimon, OF Matt Joyce, OF Brent Clevlen, P Brandon Hamilton, SS Brent Dlugach, SS Tony Giarratano, SS Danny Worth, 2B Scott Sizemore, 3B Kody Kirkland, RP Preston Larrison, P Kyle Sleeth.

You can e-mail Emack your Fantasy Baseball questions to dmfantasybaseball@cbs.com. Be sure to put Attn: Tigers outlook in the subject field. Please include your full name, hometown and state.