Useful Idiot

Perhaps Hinch can provide 2-way leverage in that regard to bring Correa to the D?

FWIW, I think you have nailed it. I wouldn't mind seeing a little "tune up" in mid relief as well ...a couple of our go-to guys that we now use.... drive me insane

They could even throw in a Little Caesar's franchise, as a sweetener. 😎

plus the Tigers will need that payroll headroom to give Matt Boyd that big contract he's got coming. 😈

Look at the welfare-case "assistant to the GM" type jobs they provide? Miggy might like one of those gigs if it keeps him close to home.

For any material benefit to exist, they would have to be flirting with the tax threshold, and want him out of the picture for head room. That is a scenario that is HIGHLY unlikely to come about, but if they did go all out and sign up a roster of all stars....an incentivized retirement could be cheaper than paying his salary PLUS the tax penalty. Not gonna happen, but it is a viable strategy

Realistically, what I expect will happen with Cabrera is, nothing anyone can do is going to deter him from playing out the 2022 season. He'll get his 3000, and spend the rest of the season making peace with the reality that he's never going to get 600 HR, nor 3,500 hits. Once he accepts that he's just about reached all the benchmarks worth reaching, he'll be open to an incentivized retirement. The Tigers might offer him a player development gig in Lakeland that over time will pay him more than he is forfeiting by retiring as an active player, he gets to avoid the rigors of traveling and the chilly northern climates, and the Tigers get his salary off their active payroll. That is assuming, of course, that there is a material benefit to the Tigers of getting his salary off the active payroll, such as luxury tax headroom.....which is iffy whether they even get close to that being a concern, based upon other additions we all hope that they make. Alternatively, If the organization stays on the cheap, they might just keep him on the field as a circus attraction.

Chris Ilitch: "Designated hitter? We've already got a $30 million designated hitter. Why would we need two?"

That's probably as good a way to say it as anything. People talk about youngsters who come up too early, find themselves overmatched, and it scars their self confidence...I guess that's kind of the lines I'm thinking of

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't both Tork and Greene exempt from rule 5 exposure? So if we move them to the active roster, and bring in 2 new fresh veterans, we are going to be exposing 4 players...somehow, some way, to make room for them. Personally, and I'm not criticizing your ambition, but personally I'd like to see more evidence that Tork and Greene are ready for the bigs before making such a move...

Both Castros? You surprised me a little bit.

Name the current 4 (non-pitcher) Tigers that you are willing to cut to make that happen.

That's okay man, I'll just keep adding addendum posts to cover the spread. Eventually that will rub some neurotic who only wants to read things that interest him, the wrong way, and then they will get around to fixing the problem

I worked closely with an uber wealthy business man for a couple decades, and they can be very funny. When an idea is something they themselves are impassioned with, it is incredible the spending they are willing to pour into the follow through. But, when they get this idea that they are spending for someone else's benefit, they want to measure every worm before putting it on the hook... And I just don't believe that Chris values winning as much as we might hope for...just my "gut".

Don't forget, it was the Detroit Tigers who told us in the middle of our 2006 pennant chase that getting Dmitri Young back off the DL was "as good as" trading for a star...so we "bulked up" with Sean Casey instead.

Let's hope that is the case come next spring. I'd love for the organization to prove me wrong and load up with top tier talent. I just can't get over the feeling we are being hustled a bit.

Two, maybe 3 weeks ago there was an article over on the MLB Tigers page stating that the spending towards improvement was not going to happen all at once, that it was going to be a multi year endeavor. I don't believe they put down an exact time line .. could be 2 years, could be 10 and it would not violate the spirit of the announcement that I read. I recall at the time that this announcement came about a week after the organization announced that it was ready to spend.......so at the time if felt like "damage control" in action, but that is solely my interpretation.

My concern is that the Johnathan Schoop extension is their idea of the "big signing" for 2021,...so "stay tuned for further developments next year as we continue our quest" etc etc...I just don't trust these guys.

The allowable time window for when edits are allowed, is unusually short here, not sure what benefit is obtained by making it so short? In this particular instance I attempted the edit, the edit screen appeared, I made my changes, and only after pressing "save" did I get the message that too much time had elapsed for editing to be permitted. And that just seems wrong to me. Needs fixed... once you get the edit screen open...you should be permitted to follow through...hope someone fixes this.

Since these draconian time limits will not allow me to edit my previous post, I'll just add "Never allow a good crisis go to waste"...you know the drill

I was just trying to fit in with everyone else by using the numbers that tell the story I wanted to tell 😕 You yourself pegged his first year as excusable, so I was just employing the covid "scapegoat", as many others have for whatever serves their purpose. You don't really recall earlier in the year as this season was just starting,.. all the excuses that media people were dreaming up describing how the abbreviated season last year was sure to have a negative impact on player performance this year? Seems like just about every player having a slow start was given some version of that benefit-of-the-doubt type logic.

I hope you are right, really I do. They've already backtracked their pledge to spend, qualifying that it will be a gradual process, spread out over multiple years. Personally I don't expect them to get serious until they are out from under Cabrera's contract. Which is essentially a $30M handicap.

He's a number 4 outfielder on a team Where Robbie Grossman has the 4th highest salary on the team and will be due for a new contract at the end of next season. Sorry, but I remain to be convinced that the moneybags are willing to start spending. Reyes is a perfect fit for who I think this team is.

You and I likely are not going to find common ground on Reyes, and I'm fine with that. I guess I should point at his 2019 results coupled with what he's done in the second half of 2021, and insist what happend in between was the outlier impacted by the pandemic (as seems to be a convenient way to explain away failure for so many situations these days?) But I won't. I'll simply insist that I believe the job is his to lose, and hope he makes the most of the opportunity. I like a player who hit's 'em were they ain't!

I wish he would either start swinging the bat like a lead-off hitter, or they would move him down in the order. I understand he's a big strong guy and the fences appeal to him, but his insistence on being a power hitter is costing us runs, IMO.