Edman85

Getting security errors when I visit today. I just wanted to report that here.

Yikes, two typos in the above zinger... Acquired, not signed. And Helsely, not Bednar.

Says the guy who has copied and pasted the same article from a third rate publication multiple times saying the Tigers should have signed Bednar instead of Finnegan.

Not the c word I had in mind, and I am not talking a derogatory slur towards women. Cheap is one way to describe it, but Lajoie and the Tigers were high practitioners in the art of collusion around that time.

Cautious is one way to describe that front office. I would use another c word.

Baddoo because he was outrighted was entitled to half of what me made last year at minimum, and since last year he was arbitration his minor league salary this year was something like $700k this year. Minor league free agents are capped at something like $210k for their minor league split. I got access to some of the salaries for minor league players, and Nido was right around that maximum.

Probably deemed he wasn't worth a 40-man spot, and if he was amenable to a minor league deal, it works out.

Yes, they would be.

I take back something from yesterday. Jose Urquidy was listed in the BA Transactions log as signing a successor contract, which seems to be the Tigers telegraphing they are declining his option and have him locked up for next year. Also included was Eduardo Valencia, which to me suggests they don't plan on protecting him from the Rule 5, since why sign to a successor contract when you can just add him to the 40 man roster in November to circumvent free agency?

I probably would have left Melton in the rotation. But then again, I also am increasingly suspicious that innings limits are pseudoscience.

Tomas Nido too. Guys over three years of service or who have been previously outrighted can declare free agency when they are outrighted or do so immediately after the season (by October 15 or within four days after postseason run ends). Nido and Baddoo had very healthy minor league salaries, so it makes sense they would stick around and not forfiet that, and now get a 3 week head start on free agency.

It's clear Jim Downey's character is up to no good!

He's coming off a shoulder injury and could get expensive in arbitration.

47 now, Minimum 6 (Kahnle, Torres, Paddack, Montero, Finnegan, Cobb), maximum 9 (Flaherty, Sewald, Urquidy have options) leaving via free agency. Tanner Rainey seems like an auto-cut. This was my back-of-the-napkin 40 man math: 22 5 11 3 6 1 8 Lock Likely Stay Bubble Likely DFA/NT Free Agent Must Add Maybe Add Javier Baez Beau Brieske Jason Foley Sean Guenther Alex Cobb Hao Yu Lee Garrett Burhenn Kerry Carpenter Jack Flaherty Brenan Hanifee Tanner Rainey Kyle Finnegan Trei Cruz Dillon Dingler Jake Rogers Bailey Horn Paul Sewald Tommy Kahnle Thayron Liranzo Sawyer Gipson-Long Dylan Smith Andy Ibanez Rafael Montero Jake Miller Riley Greene Matt Vierling Jahmai Jones Chris Paddack Izaac Pacheco Tyler Holton Alex Lange Gleyber Torres RJ Petit Brant Hurter Chase Lee Gabriel Reyes Jackson Jobe Ty Madden Eduardo Valencia Jace Jung Tyler Mattison Colt Keith Drew Sommers Justyn-Henry Malloy Jose Urquidy Zach McKinstry Parker Meadows Troy Melton Casey Mize Keider Montero Reese Olson Wenceel Perez Tarik Skubal Trey Sweeney Spencer Torkelson Will Vest

The following can all be true. Tarik Skubal has been the best pitcher in baseball 2024-2025. That does not mean Tarik Skubal will be the best pitcher in baseball, or even a good pitcher 2027-2037. The Tigers cannot unilaterally make Tarik Skubal accept a contract after 2026; therefore him not signing an extension or re-signing as a free agent doesn't fully fall on them. The Tigers should not pay a premium to keep Tarik Skubal. That involves the loss aversion fallacy. Tarik Skubal should not take a discount to stay with the Tigers.

Yes. They are off the 40 the moment they file for free agency.

I don't list free agents as Rule 5 eligible because they hit free agency before then. Valencia would have to be protected in the five days after the World Series ends. I even have a note in the header column "Plus any minor league free agents signed." Link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1jRnDAcv86yGYl1Tq6fdXD1VoGr2Ls5PiRBNEFBXHL3Y/edit?usp=drivesdk Off-season eligible tab.

RIght... Harris was being pretty vague and coy, but eventually slipped it was a pitcher he was talking about when he said the player they would have given up for a bat got some big outs in the postseason. Unless it was Keider...

If the Tigers traded Melton for Suarez and acquired Helsley instead of Finnegan, they would have missed the playoffs.

I like this from Woodbery https://www.mlive.com/tigers/2025/10/critics-say-scott-harris-didnt-do-enough-at-the-deadline-what-if-he-did-too-much.html

The payroll is likely to go up just by virtue of something like 14 guys being arb eligible. Not all will get tendered, but that is a natural raise.

There's no sign-and-trades in MLB. The team with the player has exclusive negotiating rights until five days after the World Series of the final year of their contract ends. There might be the occasional trade where there is a window the receiving team can work out a deal. I feel like that happened with Mookie Betts; it may have with Giancarlo Stanton.

You have to hang onto him because you just made the playoffs and are in position to contend next year. Trading Skubal right now would be lunacy. If he gets hurt, you can sign him at a discount.

I don't either, but he is a smart POBO.

Don't trade Skubal unless the season starts looking bleak. Then shop him at the deadline and see if you can beat the comp pick. It is possible the Tigers move back to revenue sharing payer status, which would mean a pick after the second round instead of after the first.