casimir

They've got nothing on the payroll next season. Cabrera will be done. Baez ($25M) and Rodriguez ($18M) have their opt outs. Everybody else in house is arbitration or prearbitration. The current highest salary of those folks is Austin Meadows at $4.3M. While they certainly need to improve the organization via the farm system, they've got plenty of payroll room to augment to the current MLB squad.

Maybe that’s why the tornado sirens went off…..

How did you know? Nevermind.

Tigers be putting the zero in offense lately. I’m glad May was fun, but I think that’s well in the rear view mirror.

Detroit Tigers vs Chicago White Sox Watch: Phillies - NBCSP, Tigers - Bally Sports Detroit Listen: Phillies - 94 WIP, WTTM 1680, Tigers - 97.1 The Ticket

It ain't a good lineup when it can be objectively said that Kody Clemens' .745 OPS bat would be an upgrade at any one of several positions.

I served that one up like a Wentz meatball, didn't I?

There was letting him to go to begin with. But then there was also angst about not attaching the qualifying offer or whatever vehicle there was at the time to receive a compensatory draft pick for losing him via free agency. Will Rhymes (53 games), Carlos Guillen (47), Scott Sizemore (40), Ramon Santiago (25), Ryan Raburn (18), and Danny Worth (12) handled 2B the next season. Good times.

This is a phrase that should never be used in response to me.

That's rude to the Royals.

Yup, not many other options to go to right now. My completely amateurish opinion by glancing at the stats for 15 seconds is that he's getting barreled up more this season than last. Is he tipping pitches? I mean, look at that HR% jump from last season to this.

If his hitting isn't going to get any better, and he's a defense only SS, that contract becomes ugly if/when that remaining strength is gone. Is a defense only SS worth $25M/season if his defense fades away? I guess he might still have the baserunning acumen, but if he ain't on base, how does he use it? I was happy with offering him 4 seasons with a 5th option, although he wasn't my first SS option that offseason. He got 6 total, with the opt out. OK, fine. I never thought his hitting would completely disintegrate like it has. I don't think he will opt out, but who knows.

I want to laugh and cry at this.

There's still 14 other assistant coach chairs to fill. Plenty of opportunity to find an Xs and Os coach or two.

Keep chasing the dream until they take your locker space away from you, kid.

Detroit Tigers vs Chicago White Sox Watch: Phillies - NBCSP, Tigers - Bally Sports Detroit Listen: Phillies - 94 WIP, WTTM 1680, Tigers - 97.1 The Ticket

Per bbref, its been since 2019. https://www.baseball-reference.com/previews/2023/PHI202306050.shtml

If he's not giving up hits, that's a pretty darn good WHIP of 0.83.

I must have missed that part.

Cody Stavenhagen mentioned on the Turning the Corner podcast that Skubal tossed a bullpen to make up for the difference. He also mentioned that (his opinion) Colt Keith looks more comfortable defensively at 2B than 3B. Thinks its possible that he stays at Erie through the first half, and is then promoted to Toledo. I wish he'd have mentioned Justyn Henry-Malloy's move from 3B to LF, just for some context.

Detroit Tigers vs Chicago White Sox Watch: Phillies - NBCSP, Tigers - Bally Sports Detroit Listen: Phillies - 94 WIP, WTTM 1680, Tigers - 97.1 The Ticket

I’m considering what the goal probably was going into this season. The fact that the division has developed into an absolute dumpster fire wasn’t completely impossible, but it was highly unlikely that this Tiger roster would have delivered enough to make things interesting for themselves. Things have changed over time, but it’s hard to see this continuing into the summer.

Go ahead and glare at that lineup, Matt, but you’re overdue on delivering a quality start.

I’d go further than this season with the marathon for this team. This season and the build of its roster is to try to decide what might be usable next season and the season after. It’s been awfully fun to be this close to .500 and the “division lead”, but I don’t think either are really the prize this season. The almost .500 record is buoyed a bit by favorable success in one run games and in extra innings. The division is a dumpster fire and Minnesota would be 2.5 games behind the last wildcard if the AL went strictly by record rather than factoring in geography for the postseason. So we’re enjoying a bit of a mirage right now. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s delusional to think there’s anything more to this season than prepping for next season.