As best as I can figure, the departure of these two means that only Justin Verlander and Brandon Inge remain from the 2006 pennant-winning team (Joel Zumaya is still on the roster, but his return from injury is doubtful). Both were key elements of that team, with Guillen having the highest batting average that year, and Ordonez providing the power. Ordonez, following the signing of Ivan Rodriguez, gave the Tigers legitimacy in their attempt to resurrect from the debacle of the 119-loss season in 2003. He had been a perennial power hitter for the White Sox, but a knee injury scared teams away. The Tigers took a chance, and it paid off hugely.
Ordonez would win the first batting title for a Tiger since 1963 in 2007, and finished second in the MVP balloting. He also hit what is arguably the biggest home run in the team's history, the walk-off shot in game 4 of the 2006 ALCS, which won the pennant over the Oakland As.
Guillen, who ended up playing several positions, never could shake the injury bug. He only hit three homers and drove in 13 runs this year (though I saw one of his home runs, off Jered Weaver). Whenever he came back, though, he always seemed to be able to hit. I think a team with a need could make good use of him.
Ordonez's last game with the Tigers will end up being game 1 of this year's ALCS. He had talked about retirement after breaking his ankle in 2010, and it was that same break that resurfaced and caused him to sit for the rest of the post-season. It isn't impossible to imagine him retiring. I looked at his career numbers, and while he's short of Hall of Fame numbers, he had a great career, with 294 home runs and about 2200 hits.
It's amazing how fast a team can turn over while still remaining competitive. Ordonez and Guillen will be missed, but the time comes to move on. Brennan Boesch will replace Ordonez full time in rightfield, while a search is on for a second baseman. Though they will be gone, the memories will linger, though.
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