As desperate as the Tigers are to find somebody to play shortstop next season, they did not think Edgar Renteria was worth another $9 million. The San Francisco Giants, on the other hand, believe Renteria is worth $18.5 million.
        Obviously, ability is in the eye of the beholder.
        At the end of Renteria’s admittedly disappointing 2008 season, in which he batted .270 thanks to a late-season surge but had clearly slowed down in the field, Renteria expressed what I thought was a heart-felt desire to return to the Tigers next year to make amends.
        In a quiet conversation at his locker before the final game at Comerica Park, Edgar indicated to me that he would be willing to play for less than the $9 million he received this year, if offered the opportunity.
        However, once Renteria stuck his toe in the lucrative free agent waters, he quietly changed his tune.
        You can’t blame him.
        Given the choice between making $18.5 million for two years and, say, $6 million for one, which offer would you take?
        The Tigers were well aware of the Giants’ interest in Renteria and could have tried to keep him  by offering salary arbitration _ a move that would have entitled the Tigers to two compensatory draft picks when Renteria signed on Thursday with San Francisco.
        However, salary arbitration is always a gamble, often a costly one.
        And the Tigers were unwilling to roll the dice.
        If Renteria had called the Tigers’ bluff and accepted their offer of arbitration instead of signing with the Giants, his 2009 salary would have been set by an arbitrator. And arbitrators rarely rule in favor of a pay cut.
        Renteria probably would have asked for $11 million or more. The Tigers, knowing how the process works, would have been wary of offering anything less than the $9 million they paid Edgar this year.
        Under the rules, the arbitrator must select one figure or the other. He cannot split the difference.
        As a result, teams are reluctant to bid too low, for fear the arbitrator will side with the player.
        So, even if the Tigers had won their arbitration case, they would most likely have had to pay Renteria at least $9 million next year _ which, considering their current financial situation and Edgar’s performance this past season, was something they were simply unwilling to do.
        Sure, those two extra draft picks would have been nice. But the Tigers felt the risk was too great.
        The flip slide of that is, Renteria definitely became more attractive to the Giants once the Tigers declined to offer him arbitration, relieving San Francisco of the risk of losing two draft picks in the process.
        By signing with the Giants, Renteria _ who will receive a $3 million buyout from the Tigers _ will collect a $2 million signing bonus and $7 million in salary next season, plus another $9 million in 2010. The Giants also have a $10.5 million option on Renteria’s services for 2011, with a $500,000 buyout.
        Not bad for a .270 hitter, with 10 HRs and 55 RBI.
        That leaves the Tiger still searching for a shortstop when baseball’s annual winter meetings convene on Sunday in Las Vegas.
        The name of Minnesota’s Adam Everett is the latest to surface in that hunt. But the 31-year-old Everett, who is better known for his defensive ability than his bat, hit only .213 with two HRs and 20 RBI this season when he was limited to 48 games by an injured shoulder.
        The Tigers’ perennial interest in Pittsburgh’s Jack Wilson, a better hitter, has reportedly waned. Wilson, also 31, who has been on the Tigers’ radar screen since 2007, comes with a higher price tag ($7.25 million in 2009) than they might like. The Los Angeles Dodgers are also reportedly interested in Wilson.
        Whoever plays shortstop for the Tigers next season will be a stopgap solution to the problem because the Tigers are counting on promising minor league prospect Cale Iorg to man that critical position in 2010 or 2011 at the latest.