alex

I noticed Brewer Hicklen had a big day for Toledo as well 4-6, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI. Just wanted to give you an assist. Great Job with these reports!

7 minutes ago, kdog said:

Wenceel Perez recalled off rehab..Matt Vierling placed on IL with shoulder inflammation...damn.

Hmm, this is why every time someone says/asks - 'When we are at Full Strength who is going to be sent down?' I just shrug at it because NO team is ever at 'Full Strength' except during the off season, lol.

Teams need a lot of Depth this day and age. 

48 minutes ago, IdahoBert said:

When this team returns to “full force,” and it’s hard to tell when or if injuries will hurl it below that threshold once again, some tough decisions will be made. Who gets edged out, or moved to where in the field? I guess it’s a nice problem to have but it’s a problem nonetheless. How many centerfielders and infielders (excluding 1st) does this team have room for?

Realistically, no team is really ever full force this day and age. Gone are the days of 3 SP's pitching 200 innings on a team and 7-8 position players starting 150+ games per year. Just simply the facts that take many of us who have followed the game for awhile (myself included) - a bit of time to come to this realization.

It is good to have a lot of depth. Organizations are now much more aware of this.

What baseball could do, to help alleviate some of the injuries? IMHO, is to have a few less games, maybe 28 man rosters, scheduled by-weekend ends a couple times each year for every team (not no baseball played, just different teams getting a weekend off, like what football does) and maybe a couple other things. Yes, it is about money from the viewpoint of some, but people want to see the star players 'play'. 

Maximum efforts, especially with Ps, requires optimum recovery time. Athletes are only as good and consistent as the allotted recovery time will allow. Actual rest and nutrition are also factors. The trainers are much more versed on these things now - but the actual time off is still 'not' there IMHO.

How could the players of yesteryear do it? I suspect one reason was that their bodies were not in the same peak physical condition as many of the players of today are. A well peaked physical player (strength, speed, nutrition, etc.) that plays 5 days in a row is simply putting more demand on the body than a player of 25, 40+ years ago - that was not in the same physical condition. I am 'not' saying the players did not play hard years ago and many were great players.  I am saying today the players are more and are more precise with their conditioning and peaking their skills by means of greater knowledge of physiology and use of certain technologies. Their body fat is also lower. They are simply 'overall' expending more energy with the games and conditioning than the players of before ever did.

IMHO, that is 'part' of it.

15 minutes ago, oblong said:

No more Mickey York...

That's a bummer... I figured with Keating retiring... 

I hope the "new direction" involves people who know what they are doing but we'll see.

Agreed. Hopefully people with a bit of a passion and some knowledge come into play. IMHO, York, Keating and Kane all did a really good job. I appreciated them and even more now that they have 'not' been on the scene. Have not seen Trevor Thompson recently either on any Tiger pre or post game shows.

1 hour ago, chasfh said:

I got Greene/Carpenter/Vierling, Baez/Vierling/Greene, Vierling/McKinstry/Carpenter across the OF; McKinstry/Vierling/Ibanez, Sweeney/Baez/Ibanez?, Torres/Ibanez/Keith, Torkelson/Keith/et al across the infield. Jung and Malloy optioned.

Sounds about right - however, you may be missing the IL as someone will be on it. Just simply an annoying fact for ALL teams.

19 hours ago, Edman85 said:

I wonder if he's back to Toledo with Malloy being summoned.

Maybe they will just add Brewer Hicklen?

1 hour ago, Edman85 said:

Haven't listened yet, but Tony Paul dropped a 1+ hr podcast interview with Al Avila that appeared to be pretty revealing.

Yeah, just heard that. Al has always been pretty straight forward. Pretty interesting. He did gamble with a few FAs - but his trades, for whatever reason, never brought too much back. Yet, he did get Reese Olson for DNorris at the very end.

37 minutes ago, IdahoBert said:

This is a photo I assembled four years ago when I thought our future was assured. At least I was 33.3% right. 

That is about right in today's game. Goes with Fullmer, Norris & Boyd, etc... Health is one key ingredient 'most' everyone does not consider often enough.

I know they are taking it slow with the vets this spring, but besides Jack's one start has anyone heard anything more with Kahnle, Chafin and Flaherty?

38 minutes ago, Motor City Sonics said:

Yeah,  not comfortable with Ryan Kreidler being our backup because AJ came out and pretty much closed the door on Riley playing Center.   Too bad Carpetner or Malloy can't do it.     They seem to have quite a few guys who really can't field on this team.  

Trying to scour to see if any remaining Free Agent CFers are out there.    I don't think we're going to see Meadows or Vierling for quite some time.  

Alex Verdugo is still out there.  

Yes, it seems SHarris & co. need to come up with another MLB type player. As you mentioned Verdugo. WMerrifield is still out there... Maybe a deal, someone like SMarte possibly. Though he is at 20 Mil or so, but they might be willing to pay down quite a bit if we give them a decent prospect (No, not top 10 per say). He could help - RHB, can play decent D still (all 3 OF positions), has some speed, etc.

Maybe a waiver claim?

Depth is sooo important!

1 hour ago, Tenacious D said:

Might get your wish sooner than that—I wouldn’t rule out a spring trade for an established player.

Yea, maybe. I am beginnin to warm to the idea of Starling Marte, he might do well at this park. Decent RHB, good D & speed even at his age. However, that would mean Vierling would be more at 3B and it seems he best serves the team in the OF. It would give the team more depth, another RHB and Jung more time to develop at AAA.

I have not heard anything about him in connection to the Tigers, but have heard rumors about the NYM maybe looking to move him.

4 hours ago, Tigermojo said:

Poor Johnny Kane 

Hmm, I personally felt Kane had a good rapport with most of the players and Jason Bennetti, along with everyone on the broadcasts. I am sure some fans dislike him as would be with anyone. To me he gave good insights with players, it seemed like he got to know many of them. I liked his card collecting references, food reports, etc. as well.

Maybe he is taking on a bigger role with the Pistons? Seems like he should of been with the Tigers in some respect. Just IMHO.

On 2/6/2025 at 11:39 AM, RatkoVarda said:

Harris can punt this to the trade deadline as well. He can get 3b, or any bat or an addition elsewhere (flamethrower?) if they need it; he certainly will have the prospects.

Yes, understood and true.

However, I have asked several times - 'Does Harris have the ability/the knack, to acquire MLB talent'? We know he can trade veterans for prospects which he has helped the system with several times.

Soon we may find out more about the other way around, prospects for MLB talent to help win in the 'now'.

1 hour ago, Arlington said:

...Avila took over with a lot of assets and could have brought the team back pretty quickly but his trades were terrible and he drafted as bad as Dombrowski did. But Harris seems to be pulling a group of youngsters comparable to the Tigers early 1960s and latter 1970s.  It would be great if he could manage to churn a talented roster long after the high draft picks disappear.  

Yes Harris & co. are in the process of developing a farm system, maybe even more important - an ability to develop players.

With said, it was under the Avila watch that they drafted or acquired: Greene, Skubal, Meadows, Rogers, Olsen, Jung, Tork, Mize, etc. - now, would his regime have been able to take several of these players to the next level that most are trending towards? That is another question, and history may lean towards the 'maybe not' side of it.

10 hours ago, casimir said:

Some of that is just criminal.

Most all mid market+ teams have 'some' of this going on. It is the price of business unfortunately.

45 minutes ago, chasfh said:

The ... ahem ... $64 question is, do we want to affect the decisions the 2028, '29, and '30 Tigers will have to make by seeking three or four marginal wins for 2025? Would it be a reasonable move for Scott Harris to completely go for broke and make 2028-2030 the future PBO's problem?

I think all teams of mid-size payroll+ are going to have 25-40 mil of payroll 'lost' in players per say. Right now we have Javy (though he could still be decent - we at least hope). They added Cobb & Flaherty on 1 yr deals pretty much. In '28 those deals, in addition to Javy's, will not be there. Who will we have on the roster then as 'lost' pay per say. It is not a question of 'if' - just who.

Is Bregman, say at 20 or 25 mil to be one of them ? If not there will be someone else if not a couple others at least - if we are/remain a mid range salary club.

Again I say Front load the deal as you suggested earlier. If not have Plan B & C in the wings. The Tigers are good 'now'. We have Skubal, we signed Torres, Flaherty, Cobb, etc. obviously the FO is trying to move forward this year. That and of course building the farm system which is IMHO the most important thing, and they are doing just that. Kudos big time for that.

FWIW, even Jose Iglesias might help as a 'Plan C'. I know many here would frown on that, say give it to the youngsters. We will have plenty of time for that and are doing just that. Not every position has to be filled with someone under 25, especially since we are a potential playoff team. All good teams have veterans. We could use a decent RH bat who plays well in the INF (3B) regardless if it is a player who is blocked who is young or a vet.

5 hours ago, Tenacious D said:

Even if we whiff on Bregman, I suspect that Harris likely has a Plan B to address 3B, likely via trade.  Given how long this has dragged out, he’s had plenty of time to develop this.

Simply - yes.

7 hours ago, Motor City Sonics said:

He wants a long term deal as he's turning 31 and coming off a 50-point drop in OBP.    He might actually need to take a 1 year deal to prove that drop was a fluke and not a trend.   If he is looking for a 1 year prove it deal then he's not coming to play 81 games at Comerica Park.     At this point he can't really live up to any hype.    Tigers are still skittish because of Baez -- and they should be.   There's more than one red flag here.   You're right - Tigers offered what they think he's worth and Bregman's not really that close and it's gonna take several teams dropping off to make anything happen.    I am surprised Seattle is not in the mix.  They finished one game short of the playoffs and don't have a third baseman, do they? 

It would seem Detroit is not a place for anything short term for sure.

Yet, if Bregman's market is not there this year, and he will turn 32 next spring, I do not see him getting 'better' offers even if he has a year more like 2023 (not 2024). Most teams are simply not giving into demands like they used to (see Alonso, Flaherty, etc.) and 'know' how player performances are often lesser with advancing age. 

If Bregman takes a shorter deal or a deal with opt outs - he will need a very good year to get a longer term value deal afterwards. If he does not perform well, gets hurt, plays say 80, 100 games, etc. he will need the longer term - with opt outs. He and Boras of course have looked at every situation.

It would seem Detroit would have to believe he is the guy they want, ex this year, next year, etc. Maybe even keep him in the organization. IMHO, Detroit is 'not' a destination for most hitters. Also, we are not going to outbid anyone for any 'big' FA bats ex Vlad, Tucker, etc. - it is not going to happen (see Soto, Ohtani, etc.) - and I agree with this. Draft and develop. Yet, there will be times we will need a good 'veteran'. Will we always be limited to one year deals to position players (rebounds or prove its)?

Just IMHO, Detroit would have to go in with a straight 5-6 yr deal worth 'x' (if it makes him feel better include an opt out or two, maybe FL the deal). Bregman then simply must decide - I am good going to Detroit, ex good salary and long term security, with A.J., can contend now, good farm system to compete in the future, and they given me opt outs, etc.

IF Detroit feels he is the right guy, then they have to pony up to a certain extent ex 5 yrs 180, nothing too outrageous (yet, what I just exampled may already be!). Remember Bregman is at least contemplating coming here, his agent is a master at getting every last penny from whatever team - including creating the illusion that more teams are out there and/or getting more teams involved.

As many have said I do hope they have a 'Plan B & C'. I do often wonder, why not get a player coming off a down year, that has a track record and is younger ex Bichette with Toronto. Make a deal and sign him believing he is a talent who had an off year.

How else can Detroit, without overpaying, get a position player to come here? We now go back to a potential Bregman deal - and further back to Pudge, Magglio, Prince, etc. all overpaying to get a 'star' position player here.

Draft and development is key for sure. Yet, we will have to supplement at times (overpaying?) - is this one of those times.

1 hour ago, RandyMarsh said:

... A couple years down the road we may have egg on our face but I'll cross that bridge when the time comes. 

28 minutes ago, chasfh said:

Just like we did with Miggy and like we did with Zimmermann and like we're doing with Javy.

At least we (barely) escaped doing it with Prince.

I 'think' in the case of Bregman there are other intangibles. SHarris has repeatedly said he wants to develop the farm system, young talent and of course keep a real pipeline to the MLB club. I think this is the most important thing for the health of the organization.

I have also head Harris say several times he likes the influence of veterans (the right veterans) on how they can help with young players.

With Bregman, from what we all hear repeatedly, is that he is a leader, good clubhouse influence, etc. With this said, we know Harris brings in vets for 10 mil, 12 mil, etc. with 'one year' contracts (call it rebound looks for some instances) each year (see Canha, Torres, Boyd, Cobb, etc.). IF Bregman is aboard, he may not be a 30 mil guy in year 4 or 5 - but he may also allow Harris to not 'have to bring in that veteran influence' per say for that say 14-15 mil which it will be at that point.

If they can get him on a more front loaded (FL) deal, even if it is for 5 years, (say years 1-3 are FL) it could be a win-win for both sides.

I agree to stay away from long term deals. I felt no way would Flaherty get 4-5 years from us - but what they did works, and now he is here. 'IF' the Tigers think Bregman is a 'guy/dude' they want for a variety of reasons- then a 5-6 year deal in this particular case may work. I feel (maybe they do as well) he could be an 'organization' type guy.

With all that said being plan 'A' - I hope of course they have a Plan 'B & C' as well. They need a RH INF who can help. This also puts Vierling back to the OF most of the time - where he may be best suited.

17 hours ago, chasfh said:

OK, here is a completely wild contract idea that I’m sure no one’s thinking about and would never be offered. But tell me whether do you think this doesn’t make sense, and then tell me why not.

Offer Bregman 6/180. Front-load it to be 40 in each of the first two years, and 25 in each of the last four. Give him a player option after the first year, and give us a team option after the second year. If Bregman declines the option after year one and the Tigers exercise the option after year two, the last four years become guaranteed.

This gives Bregman a super high salary for this season, and if he slays, he can opt out and try his luck on the market again. We will have gotten a tremendous season, and we can keep our current prospects in the wings to try again in 2026.

If Bregman does poorly enough to not exercise his player option, he could come back for another year, and if he slays, we can then pick up the rest of the contract guaranteed, and if he doesn’t, we can let him go. It would have to be basically an All-Star season in year two for us to pick it up. Then I feel like we could get close to pretty good value from him for his remaining years here at the price of 4/100. I doubt he’s going to have a Javy drop off because his skill set is much more solid than Javy’s was when he came here.

This won’t happen, of course, but tell me why this won’t work.

I like the thinking. I would also say that the Tigers have looked/asked Alex (Boras) about many ideas... something like this may well be one of them. Nothing to not like. Though if Alex, a one year opt out with Detroit may not make too much sense because of the park - and he would be one year older next FA season. An opt out with Boston or Toronto would make more sense. With said any good GM/staff can see what a particular ballpark might do in that regard - and add to the fact that Alex will be one year older.

5 hours ago, Tenacious D said:

I don’t like creating a big hole to fill another.  We’re not desperate to get a 3B—we have in-house options.

Agreed. Yet, 'IF' the Stros sign Bregman, we could still deal for Parades. It does not have to be a LH OF, maybe a prospect or two from pitching depth (or lower minor position players/Ps). Then Houston could turn around and sign someone like Verdugo to be a LH OF (they had been rumored to have contact with him earlier this off season). Then all the while adding some prospect depth (from Detroit) to their depleted system.

Just ideas... Parades, though not a great glove, could still help at 3B, put Vierling in the OF. Also, Parades is still quite young as well.

21 minutes ago, Tiger337 said:

The average batting average in MLB was .243

The average OBP was .312.

So, your list had two players way above that and several players around average.  

 

Well said. This is 'not' the 1990s anymore for offensive production.

11 hours ago, alex said:

IMHO, there is no way that SHarris will offer a 5 year contract. 'Maybe' a 2-3 year deal with opt outs?... maybe. That simply is not his MO and I agree with it.

A possible exception might be Skubal - but if he stays healthy (a big IF) Skubal/Boras would never agree with it.

To clarify this - I meant SHarris would not be signing any FA 'pitcher' to a 5 year deal (which I have stated here before - and I agree with that premise on Pitchers). Yes, he may be open to extending Skubal (however again if healthy I do not see that happening with Boras).

Flaherty on the other hand maybe 2-3 years with opt outs (he would be a good fit here again, IMHO).

Actually, I would not be totally surprised if the Tigers do have a 4-5 year offer in mind with Bregman. The fact is I do not see them signing any younger FA star position player to a longer term deal anytime soon - that and most position players are not that open to coming here (esp RH hitters). Too many other spots that 'most' might seek. I think because of the A.J. connection - Bregman might come here IF the sides can agree on the terms that might work for both parties.

23 hours ago, chasfh said:

When Jack’s good, he’s very very good. The problem is he’s not good consistently enough for me to want him to sign for five years here.

IMHO, there is no way that SHarris will offer a 5 year contract. 'Maybe' a 2-3 year deal with opt outs?... maybe. That simply is not his MO and I agree with it.

A possible exception might be Skubal - but if he stays healthy (a big IF) Skubal/Boras would never agree with it.

1 hour ago, papalawrence said:

Flaherty was on the Foul Territory podcast today. While it's obviously part ploy to get a contract, he also seems very genuine when he says how much he enjoyed being in Detroit and he would welcome the chance to return. He will be 29 the entire 2025 season. The Tigers should pay this guy. They likely will lose Skubal in 2 years, if not sooner. I don't know what they're asking, but 4/100 to 5/120 would seem reasonable. I keep reading he is asking for 5 yrs. Just go get him Harris!

1 hour ago, SoCalTiger said:

Seems high to me at this point. His medicals must be iffy. I would only go 2 years with an opt out. 

I would agree Flaherty on the lower years (2-3 at most) and higher AAV, perhaps with an opt out after year 1 and/or 2. He fits well here. We have a chance to win.

No question health is always a concern with any longer deal - esp with Ps.

SHarris does not really like long term deals with veterans. His history shows this. With said, he is going to have to advocate some deals at some point (even our own players) or it will always be players on the team of under 6 years experience and 'prove it' 1 year veteran deals (rebounds). Does not seem like a recipe to sustainably win in THIS league (yes, Tampa does defy it some). IMHO that cannot work without an exception here and there.