mtutiger

I wouldn't read too much into the time it's taken to sign given the relative lack of activity more broadly thus far in the offseason.... he's going to command a longer term deal.

It's not an apples to apples case, here.... there aren't any Corey Seagers out there and, with what is out there, is anything really worth the investment in terms of years given some of the options internally? Matt Chapman would maybe the exception to the above, but in terms of contract length, he is going to be asking for too many years and there will be someone else out there willing to give him five years I'm guessing

People are accustomed to crediting the Rangers World Series win to simply signing free agents, but in reality, they don't get there without their young core coming up and performing. The Tigers are kind of in the same boat... maybe there's a trade to be had that could change the dynamics at third base, but otherwise it's hard to see anything that really moves the needle sitting on the free agent market right now.

Granted Harris hasn't said a ton to the media since starting, but every indication seems to be that the decisions are coming from him... Chris Ilitch gets a ton of criticism, but he's not a hands-on owner (in a sport that has quite a few of them)... so one could see why the gig was desirable for someone like Harris.

A lot of why "playoffs" is in our vocabulary with this team comes down to the division they play in. If they were in any other division, they'd be at least a year out. With where they play now, with the signings that they have made, you can squint and see it. But it's going to require a number of things to go right, even if they are in better shape than in years past, there aren't enough "sure bets" on this roster. I'm guessing the projection systems are catching that. Even on the division point, I do think that Minnesota's moratorium on spending money this offseason doesn't, in and of itself, mean they shouldn't be the favorite to win the division still. They still have a good amount of talent on that roster.

I saw a front page shared on Twitter of a newspaper based in Houma/Thibodeaux Louisiana recently where the front page cover was about President of Harvard's testimony before Congress regarding antisemitism on their campus. It really struck me as a great example of how the news industry falls woefully short in covering local issues in today's day and age. Also not looking to comment on the politics either, but at a larger level, local newspapers and news outlets really have lost course.... with larger cities like Detroit and Chicago it makes sense to have a national beat or focus some on it, but overall at the smaller regional level, there are too many important stories that get ignored in favor or national stories. And the reasons seem as much about finances (ie. keeping costs down, not paying more staff), which is such a failure the people they purport to serve.

Player only

Chafin's deal is interesting in how team friendly it is compared to his initial deal.... lower cost and more control after year 1 with a team option. As much as folks complained about letting him go last year, especially early when the bullpen was struggling, the situation is basically going to play out about as well as it possibly could have for the Tigers.

I was initially skeptical they would trade an arm for a bat, but after reading this tweet lol

We've agreed twice in one week, it's a Christmas miracle lol

The new speculation is whether this portends trading any young arms.... I'd be hesitant to do that, otherwise you're betting on a big bounce back from Flaherty in 2024. Overall, I think it's a fine signing and given that this org has had success working with pitchers, it seems like a worthy gamble despite his rough 2023 stats.

If they sign Yamamoto, great.... I haven't said that they shouldn't. But going back to my original point: Many fans seem to approach their payroll with the view that this team having a payroll lower than 2023 would be a failure.... personally, I don't care whether the payroll is or isn't lower. If they managed to land Yamamoto or Imanaga or someone else at the higher end of the market on a longer term pricier deal, great, fine by me. If they can't accomplish that but go the more Lorenzen-esque route, that's fine too. Either way, I just want them to make moves that make sense within the context of what they are trying to accomplish in 2024 and beyond. The dollar signs are irrelevant to me.

Fair point, really lovely part of the world!

One way to accomplish this is to ensure you don't make decisions that subsequently lead to expenses exceeding revenues. I know I'm a fan and I'm not supposed to care about any of that, but at least in how I approach being a fan of the Detroit Tigers, I'm not going to feign ignorance to the reality that running a major league club is a business and healthy businesses in any industry generally try to avoid making stupid investments or spend money without their being an ultimate purpose.

If I were a fan of the San Diego Padres at the moment and my team was forced to slash payroll because they have cash flow issues, I would consider that a problem and would expect that to impact my enjoyment of the team in the immediate near term. Whether I'm hoping for it or not seems like an irrelevant point.

Looking at what's going on in San Diego this offseason for instance, clearly the reality is a little more complicated.

Credit to you for acknowledging that there actually is cost or risk involved. Many appear unable to acknowledge that.

Although they have the new model in Javier Baez (hopefully he turns it around)

I definitely get that a lot of it is the toll that seven years of losing has taken on this organization, so it's hard to be too critical on fans. But particularly since Scott Harris came onboard, there's been a glaring disconnect between what outside observers see in this franchise and what it's fanbase does. Semi-related, but the hang up on payroll and spending (particularly with Miggy coming off the books) continues to be amusing. My personal view is that I want them to add free agents who can help the team, but that the money that it takes to procure them isn't really a factor at all in whether it's a smart move or not. Put another way, I don't really care whether the quantitative sum adds up to what the team lost in payroll when Miggy retired or when ERod opted out, just want the moves to make sense in the context of what they are trying to accomplish (something along the lines of taking a baseline 80 win team and making moves to help them win their division this year)

Jason Benetti in his interview with the Awful Announcing podcast mentioned a number of factors as to why he went over to the Tigers, including his view that the front office is "willing to spend on free agents". Another data point to my view that people outside of Detroit view this organization much differently than the fanbase does.

Can't be emphasized enough.... there is no Tyler Holton breakout if Chafin is on last year's team. Doesn't mean anything one way or another as to whether they should or shouldn't have brought him back if the opportunity presented itself, but it's an example of there being opportunity costs to free agency as well. As for signing Chafin in present day, it makes sense for both sides.... Chafin wasn't his usual self last year, but he was comfortable and performed well as a Tiger... and the team fashions itself as a place for players to get right, particularly on the pitching side. Everybody wins here.

I think this is right, although to the extent that there's a lot of variability, I don't love their chances if they are giving Vierling the lions' share of reps at third base. This division isn't good so I would hesitate to declare anything not good enough though.

The jet never had Ohtani on it. JP "Pope" Morosi really covered himself in glory today lol

I think Scott Harris really likes AJ Hinch, sees him as a partner in this relationship, and sees that relationship continuing beyond the existing contract. Simply put, he's sold on AJ in the role of manager. Given that, from his standpoint, I don't see the downside to extending him now versus a year from now. But as fans, I can see why some would have apprehension.

The extension thing matters - and makes sense - because it formally makes Hinch, who Harris inherited, his pick to be manager. It ends any sort of speculation about Hinch as a lame duck or holdover, and ties them both together in a way they weren't to this point. Maybe not the best example given that Bob Quinn was a failure in the end, but the situation last season wasn't much different than him inheriting Jim Caldwell for instance. (Of course, he would then let Caldwell go and bring in someone much worse lol)