With MLB spring training now only a few short weeks away, it is a fun time to begin looking ahead to position battles. When it comes to the Detroit Tigers, it will be particularly interesting to keep an eye on the battle over the last couple of bullpen jobs.

Clearly, the Tigers appear to have five bullpen spots all but set in stone with Alex Wilson, Justin Wilson, Blaine Hardy, Mark Lowe and Francisco Rodriguez, which leaves two spots open for competition in a seven-man bullpen. When it comes to those who will be competing for those jobs, the Tigers’ options should be plentiful.

For starters, one would have to believe that a formidable candidate to win one of those spots should be Drew VerHagen. Through 26.1 innings out of the Tigers’ bullpen last year, VerHagen posted a 2.05 ERA, a 1.22 WHIP and a 74.7 percent ground ball rate. With numbers such as those, he could be used as a double-play specialist of sorts.

Another name that is certainly worth discussing is Shane Greene. Through his first three starts with the Tigers last year, Greene went 3-0 with an 0.39 ERA and a 0.74 WHIP. Unfortunately, his numbers and season in general took an extreme turn for the worse after that, and he reportedly underwent shoulder surgery back in August. With the starting rotation now looking quite crowded, Greene’s best chance at making the team may very well be as a reliever. If he can get back on the right track, he could indeed be an effective option for the team in the middle innings.

There is Bruce Rondon to consider as well. The hard-throwing Rondon had a good year for the Tigers in 2013, but he missed the following season after undergoing Tommy John surgery and began last season on the sidelines due to a biceps injury. When he finally returned, he posted a whopping 5.81 ERA and a 1.61 WHIP through 31 innings before being sent home with two weeks left to go in the season because of his “effort level.” Although many fans have grown frustrated with Rondon, he has a great arm and could still figure things out.

Of course, the Tigers have more options than just those three as well. Some have recently begun to wonder if Michael Fulmer, who the Tigers acquired from the New York Mets in the Yoenis Cespedes deal last summer and is currently ranked as the team’s No. 1 prospect by MLB.com, could earn a bullpen spot.

Other names to keep in mind include, but are not limited to, Buck Farmer, Kyle Ryan and Angel Nesbitt. Granted, some of the Tigers’ bullpen candidates may carry some pretty big question marks, but this a very talented group as well.

With so many pitchers to sort through, it will certainly be interesting to see what happens at the end of spring training. The way things are shaping up, it is beginning to look like Detroit may actually have a solid bullpen for the first time in quite a while.