Tiger337

Whatever they are doing isn't working and I am talking about all across the leagues not just the Tigers. Injuries are becoming no less prevalent with modern practices. I would have liked to have seen Montero and Melton left in the rotation.

I am pretty sure nobody is posting seriously about this.

I think they'll be really interested in keeping Finnegan and he might want to stay given that he pitched better with them. It might be a small sample or it might be that they know how to work with him. Montero doesn't seem like he would be a priority for the reason you mentioned.

They won't get either one. They are going to make another run at Bregman and fall short. Don't worry though. They'll sign a pitcher coming off an injury and another one that used to be good 5 years ago. They'll also get a bunch of relievers off the waiver wire and trade Malloy for a gritty utility guy.

Wow, I did not know that. My family has a connection to him. My father's friend Eddie "Bucky" Boehm (you can look him up on b-ref) played with Shantz in the minors in 1948 and they became lifetime friends. Shantz owned some really nice rental houses in Lakeland and he sometimes let Bucky use them when he wasn't doing anything with them. One of them happened to be available the weekend my father, mother (the only time she joined the boys on a Lakeland trip!) and I were heading to Lakeland, so Bucky passed it on to us. It was the nicest vacation housing I every stayed at. That was a good thing because I doubt my mom would have liked Lakeland much otherwise!.

That could very well be true, but there should be a 40-man roster spot for him.

McKinstry is kind of like him.

I agree Malloy will probably start the season in the minors. I am thinking about the 40-man roster. It is at 47 now and there will be maybe 3 rule 5 additions. I think there will be 5 players leaving via free agency. So, they will need to drop at least 5 more.

I think Ibanez won't be back. He is going to be 33, is coming off a bad year (didn't even hit LHP) and is eligible for arbitration.

It's hard to imagine Jones not staying on the roster, especially given their need for right-handed batters.

Thanks.

You can get rule 5 eligibles on Fangraphs too, but they don't quite match. I know Edman tends to update his list frequently, so I use that one. Eduardo Valencia is on fangraphs but not Edman's list. Edman lists him as a minor league free agent which I assume is why he is not eligible for R5.

At the time, I was hoping that the Tigers would trade for two relievers with good track records. They got one in Finnegan, but I wish they got another. I didn't think the starters and hitters available were going to be worth what they would cost. Suarez is slump prone, so I wasn't that excited about two months of him. Morton and Paddack were just prayers and I didn't see them as upgrades over Montero and Melton. It did make sense to move Melton to the bullpen given his innings limit.

This, of course, brings to mind the famous Ty Cobb story. He was asked by a reporter what he would hit in the modern game under more challenging conditions. Cobb replied that he'd probably hit about .300. The reported expressed surprise that he would admit that. Cobb replied:"You have to remember that I'm 70 years old".

yes, 2024 was a big step forward.

He's right. It was a good season but not a step forward. Perhaps the organization as a whole stepped forward, but the Tigers on the field really did not.

So, they are six wins worse without him (87 this year)? So, his 6.6 WAR makes some sense? Of course, the pitchers who replaced him (if they had to replace him on the fly) would probably not be as good as the guys that went 131-131 which is what WAR is supposed to be about. I think a replacement level pitcher on an average hitting team would be .400. Put that pitcher in 32 games and they win 13 games. Win half the other games and they win 78 total. Hopefully, once he goes though, they will have added someone who is not replacement level.

Harris seems like a smart guy, but he throws around a lot of terminology in interviews which doesn't necessarily mean a lot He has talking about control the zone for years and I don't really see the Tigers doing that. I would have liked to hear Hinch talk more.

That would be a Dombrowski move!

If Tony Gwynn played today, he would have benefitted from all the training, analysis and technology that is in play today. His BA would be lower, but he probably would have hit more home runs. He would have been just fine. Same thing with the pitchers.

Given your forum personality, BARKER is actually VERY EASY to remember!!!!!

Shelten, you should just let this go.

Yes, I think spelling "Olsen" instead of "Olson" is less egregious than something like calling Nate Robertson "Robinson" which are two different sounding names. Even Raburn/Rayburn is fairly easy to remember simply because Raburn is unusual. Olson and Olsen are difficut because they sound the same and are both common. Edit: Probably more humorous prior to the edit, but I'm trying to make a semi-serious point.

Granderson and Jackson were not rentals. That trade was not made because Dombrowski needed to get something for Granderson/Jackson before they walked. It was made because, in part, because Dombrowski liked Scherzer and Jackson (I think especially Scherzer at the time the trade was made) better than Granderson and Jackson.

Nothing is ever 100%, but I think If they trade Skubal, it is most likely going to be for prospects rather than players that will help in 2026. That is why trading Skubal would probably remove them from contention in 2026. Any team that would trade for one year of Skubal is going to be all in to win in 2026 and probably isn't going to give up players who will help the Tigers next year.