I wouldn't think a lot of teams would give Santiago a starting job so I think this was the smart play. The Tigers are contenders and Santiago has played over 100 games the past two seasons. He's getting a solid raise for his work so its a solid re-signing by the Tigers keeping the slick fielding Santiago.According to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com, Ramon Santiago's new two-year contract with the Tigers is worth a little more than $4 million in total salary.
There was some thought that Santiago would leave the Tigers this winter in search of a full-time job, but he'll return to Detroit as a utilityman instead for a bit over $2 million per year. The 32-year-old batted .260/.311/.384 this past season in Motown while appearing defensively at second base, shortstop and third base.