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Among Tigers fans, it's long been a foregone conclusion that Carlos Guillen will eventually move from shortstop to first base. But for now, Guillen isn't interested in hearing about a permanent switch, at least not until the team brings someone on board who's head and shoulders better than him. From Danny Knobler of Booth Newspapers (via DTW):

"If they're going to get a shortstop, it had better be a Gold Glove," Guillen said before the Tigers lost 7-4 to Cleveland and moved closer to their offseason. "I don't have a problem with first base, but if you bring in a shortstop, it has to be a really good shortstop.

"It had better be the best shortstop in the big leagues."

Who could that be? Guillen mentioned a few names (Edgar Renteria, Omar Vizquel, Orlando Cabrera), and he pointedly didn't mention Jack Wilson, the Pittsburgh shortstop the Tigers tried to trade for on July 31. He later talked about shortstops who "hit make $7 million and hit .250," an obvious reference to Wilson.

Is Guillen's defense really all that bad? It could be more consistent, but any shortcomings are compensated by the fact he's one of the AL's top offensive shortstops. He doesn't get the publicity as Derek Jeter, Michael Young or MiguelTejada, but his numbers are as good or better than those three. If he's moved to first base, though, he'd be just another corner infielder.

If Detroit really wants to get the most bang for their buck, they should keep Guillen at shortstop for another year or two and instead focus on adding a first baseman with more pop. The team has received a major-league-low seven home runs from their first basemen this year, not to mention a .727 OPS that ranks 27th in the majors. The Tigers might still butcher a routine grounder now and then but they'd have one of the most potent lineups in the league.