Jimmy Rollins has spent his entire 12-year career with the Philadelphia Phillies, and many expect the free agent shortstop to ultimately re-sign with the club.

But as ESPN's Jayson Stark reported on Twitter, and later on SportsCenter, Rollins' agent is telling the Phillies a second club is interested, and speculation is that team is the Detroit Tigers.



Rollins, 33, would help the Tigers in a number of areas.

Even though his offensive production has dipped slightly the past couple seasons, he would be a far better fit at leadoff than anyone else on the Tigers' roster. He hit .268 in 142 games last year -- just off his .272 career average -- with a .338 on-base percentage and just 58 strikeouts.

With 30 stolen bases in 2011, Rollins would also provide some much needed speed at the top of the lineup, without the strikeout issues the Tigers have endured with Austin Jackson in the top spot.

Defensively, Rollins is strictly a shortstop, never playing another position in his 1,600 starts. If the Tigers were able to work out a deal with Rollins, the Tigers likely would move current shortstop, Jhonny Peralta, to third base where he played 100 games in 2010.

Rollins has won three Gold Gloves, from 2007-09, and he committed just seven errors in 581 chances last season.

Perhaps the biggest concern with Rollins at this point in his career is injuries. He missed 74 games in 2010 with calf, foot and hamstring issues. Rollins also missed a couple weeks last season with a groin injury.

At the end of the day, even if the Tigers are the team talking with Rollins' agent, it's probably a leverage play to get a few more dollars out of the Phillies.

Rollins should represent a significantly lower investment, in years and dollars, than the younger and more talented Jose Reyes, who signed a 6-year deal with the Miami Marlins worth $106 million. But it has been reported that Rollins is seeking a five-year deal.



If it requires that long of a commitment to bring the shortstop to Detroit, general manager Dave Dombrowski would be wise to pass.