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Good Area Scouts build relationships with players in their areas over several years. They talk regularly, they know the families. Players are talking to any scout/team that is showing interest and whether they want to divulge other conversations is their discretion and how they want to play the game. Area Scouts are talking to players as the draft is happening..."We are thinking about grabbing you here. If we do that, does a $20k bonus get it done?" If they've fine their job, the bonus question is just confirmatory and not a real question. The teams are doing the math on their bonus pool in real time as a result of this information. When the draft concludes they have a high confidence in how the signings are all going to play out.

This is not a clerical error. It is routine business and these players told the Tigers they would sign for these bonuses before they even picked them. There will not be any animosity toward the club over this.

Nice night at the ballpark tonight. Tigers win, got to meet and talk with the Melton family and ms Bruce as well. She is quite attractive in person and very professional. Now two more gentleman.

Well in my simple mind says that if we are trying to make the playoffs and have a run you certainly do not trade your best pitcher and the only advantage you have over EVERY team in the playoffs. And if we are trading Skubal then trade everyone else with an expiring contract I mean just make a decision but be “All In”

completely disagree from an organizational standpoint. A playoff run brings in millions of $ this season and the fan interest leads to more millions. Plus the boost in playoff experience for the players that will still be here.

R.O.C.ing in the USA.

He can't see his reflection in the mirror so he doesn't know how hilarious his comment is.

So here is the thing in Hao-Yu Lee's favor. In the first 82 PA from his call-up, his OPS was 527. In the 79 since, it's 839. So for the time being at least, he's playing over replacement level. SSS or a player finding his legs? Prolly some of both. That said, I still wouldn't give him any of Gleyber's ABs.

With the numbers we know, the Tigers are a bit over slot right now with Adams's number in. (Yes, by the way, Adams's is correct grammar.) They still have about $353K (net) they can go over slot if they sign everybody in the Top 10 before getting more than a financial penalty.

Good

I don’t think he makes it there before the runner. They were about the same distance from the bag when he lands and he was starting on his back foot. He made the right play by taking the highest percentage out. Tork to my eyes anyway is elite when it comes to scooping the ball. Probably the only elite thing he does that keeps us from moving on.

They took a break from talking about the NFL and WNBA?

Wonder what McG didn't just touch 3rd

The Area Scout's job is to get to know the player, understand what it will take to sign them, etc. They are vital to a team being able to execute a draft strategy.

? did you watch the game and see all the tackling and defense? come on, man.

Turned in for the World Cup and the NHL All-Star Game broke out.

Javy's our CFer.

Trade the fragile flower. We need tough guys.

Yeah I was being facetious about Woodruff. However, from where I sit, if you as a GM can’t get more than a comp pick in value for a stretch run of Tarik Skubal, then you should be canned. Even if you get a prospect package but you want something a little different—you have those assets to then make another move with. You also probably are going to be waiting a minimum of 2 years before that comp pick is in Detroit—and that’s if you hit another slam dunk like McGonigle. More than likely the pick won’t pan out at all. i understand the idea of keeping Skubal for a shot at it and having the comp pick as a consolation prize….but anything other than a title and it’s a massive missed opportunity. I don’t want to sound pessimistic but when we are talking about winning 12 games in a row to be in first place at the deadline and acting like the bullpen is going to do a u-turn and Tork/Keith/Vierling/McKinstry are gonna figure it out and pitchers wont counter adjust to Lee and we won’t have anymore injuries….it sounds like an Angels in the Outfield storyline. Cash out on Skubal as long as you can turn a good profit back. If there’s nothing being offered for him, then keep him I guess. You’re not gonna convince me that the Dodgers won’t want him to prevent him from going to a competitor, and that teams desperate for a WS won’t give up good value to run Schlittler/Skubal or Misiorowski/Skubal all playoffs.

I think he’s worth considerably more than Valencia or Malgeri, and could easily get 5 plus days/wk as I think they’ll want to DH Torres 2-3 days/wk

FWIW, as clutch as he was last night, FanGraphs doesn't believe Lee is even replacement level with his bat or his glove so far. Which is fine, he's still a 23-year-old raw rookie with potential, which is why I think he might get more time at Toledo once Gleyber is back. They may decide his time is better spent in the starting lineup at second base everyday rather than being a spot starter and guy off the bench.

It will work it. It always does.

I hope Harris is not basing his decisions on what kind of blowback he gets.

The ones that do pitch more to contact and are more likely to get hit hard in a given outing

I think he could have gotten him at third too, but I'd guess a key is that is that he had to look away from the runner to field the ball, so as he came down and turned the fastest decision is go straight to the throwing position instead of trying to pick up the runner, maybe see that was too late for 3rd and get nobody.

Standard operating procedure toward the back end of the first 10 rounds... The Braves' 9th rounder this year got $500.

I don’t think they start Dingler at C for more than 120 games. Valencia shouldn’t catch 10 games IMO. i believe they’d go with someone like Nido instead of Valencia as the 2nd catcher. A strong defender over offense.

It would be ironic if the final straw for Ilitch was Yzerman refusing to spend too much of Illitch's money to acquire Jason Robertson.

I don’t think it will be Valencia. He’s fine as a 3rd C/1b/DH, but not fine catching 50 plus games IMO.

I don’t care what the talking heads think. They don’t represent what the front offices think. And we’re not trading him.

This is tricky to articulate, but, I’ve had my own peculiar type of damage throughout my life that I constantly acknowledge and work on, so I have enjoyed shows about people who struggle with their own damage and work to overcome it. That can be inspirational to me and I root for them to succeed. I do find shows that practically celebrate people’s damage—where it’s portrayed as a good thing because they pretend the damage is necessary to feed their talents, so they lean into it and flaunt it and win with it—to be off-putting, because that doesn’t feel real to me. That’s a very different thing than living with the damage and doing the best you can with it while working on it. I hope I threaded the needle right on this one.

Daniella is quite good at what she does.

And Lee. The Kids Are Alright

Oops, finally figured out my error.

I pulled a Bert and posted in the wrong thread… what a great win, great end to the game.

So in the top of the fourth Dingler just stood there like the house by the side of the road as Ernie used to say…

Himmler and Goering didn’t look like Übermenschen, either.

sigh anyone else getting audio/video choppiness from mlb.tv?

If this is what a “normal” person looks like, count me out.

No offense to 70 year olds, but as a 59 year old I feel I only have 11 more years of active fandom before I become one of those geezers living in the past watching VHS of late 1990s games from a lazy-boy in my basement. Rebuild, fine, but uh, could we get a move on please! 🙂

AJ reads my posts.

I mean both those guys are seniors, it's why you take them at the back half of your top 10 to help your flexibility around the other guys who either get floated down or you are going over slot. Yeah those signing bonuses aren't great but they still get to play baseball professionally.

Pot, meet kettle... https://bsky.app/profile/peipolitical.bsky.social/post/3mqtcylrlqc23

Finally the nightmare of no games is over.

Special anniversary today

I thought they didn't like pronouns.