DETROIT -- The negotiations will continue between the Tigers and third baseman Miguel Cabrera. At least now, however, they won't include arbitration.

On the day that teams and arbitration-eligible players were scheduled to exchange salary offers, the Tigers wrapped up the last of their contracts to avoid it, signing Cabrera and reliever Bobby Seay to one-year contracts.

With that, the Tigers' record of never going to an arbitration hearing under president/general manager Dave Dombrowski's leadership continues. But that's not the victory they're looking for; signing Cabrera long-term is.

Cabrera will make $11.3 million this year, up from the $7.4 million salary he was awarded in arbitration with Florida last year. The Tigers have expressed interest in a long-term contract with the 24-year-old slugger, who batted .320 with 34 home runs and 119 RBIs last year for the Marlins. The one-year deal, however, avoids the distraction of arbitration and allows the club and Cabrera's agents to work on something longer before the season begins.

"Dave [Dombrowski] has been pretty clear: Our preference has been to try to do a long-term deal on Miguel," said Tigers vice president and legal counsel John Westhoff, who handled the negotiations. "It was really the agents' preference to work out a one-year deal [before working on a longer-term contract]. We have every intention of working on a longer-term deal."

Cabrera is eligible for free agency after the 2009 season, and he'd be one of the biggest names to hit the market if he did. However, the Tigers acquired Cabrera from the Marlins with the intent of signing him long-term, even though it'll take a lucrative deal to do so. Likewise, Cabrera said last week at TigerFest that he hopes to be a Tiger for a long time.

Seay will earn $780,000 after becoming eligible for arbitration for the first time. The 29-year-old earned a full-time role as Detroit's left-handed specialist last year, posting a 3-0 record and 2.33 ERA in 46 1/3 innings of work. Left-handed hitters batted just .209 against him.

Inge finds well-wishers in Grand Rapids: Brandon Inge still isn't talking to reporters about his situation, but his fans are.

An estimated crowd of more than a thousand lined up for several hours, in some cases, to get an autograph from Inge and wish him well at a Friday evening signing in Grand Rapids, Mich. Many expressed their hope that he remains a Tiger this season.

"I just told him he can't leave," said fan David Outman of Comstock Park, Mich. "He said, 'I don't want to.'"

Many fans in this area remember Inge from his time at Class A West Michigan nearly a decade ago. He spent his first full Minor League season with the Whitecaps in 1999. And many came out to see him on Friday. What was scheduled to be just a two-hour autograph session ended up going an hour longer to accommodate extra fans.

Jerry Ritsema of Wyoming, Mich., let out a cheer on his way out after Inge autographed his jersey.

"I'm hoping he can take over Omar [Infante's] spot [as a utility player]," Ritsema said. "That's what I'm hoping, but to be honest, they're paying so much [in payroll] already. But play third, play infield, play outfield, he can do all that.

"He's been there when they were bad, since way back. He's been there through it all. Now they're getting good, and [a trade could] happen to him. I feel terrible for him."