mtutiger

It stands to reason that one consideration when comparing the two in terms of WAR is that Tampa has been generally been drafting much lower in the first round versus the Tigers, who have spent the last 5 years at the top of the draft.

Cody has made some comments in the past on his podcast that seem to put him leaning toward the "non-tender" category, iirc.

Sounds good to me... after last year, outside a few of the younger players and most of the bullpen, a lot of the roster is expendable imo. Including Candy.

Today is apparently like the "Layla" scene at the corner of Woodward and Montcalm lol

Seems like a big "if" given that Candy missed badly on his ZIPS projection this year.

There seems to be a lot of shock in Yankee-land after the sweep, but it seemed pretty evident coming in that Houston was a cut above. Sleep on Houston at one's own peril.... I'll believe they aren't the elite in the AL when I see it at this point.

As much as people like to make fun of him (particularly for his ample shape), it's always possible that he's not the problem and that the problems stem more from the top

I wonder what saved Teter...

Good post. Overall, I would just say that if they do end up bringing him back (which wouldn't surprise me), I just hope they do it because they really think he can fix him and help him be more like the guy from 2021, not simply out of settling for him out of fear that they can't land someone on the free agent market or execute a trade to improve on the position. The latter being what Avila would do if he still has the job

Without a doubt one of the more compelling reasons to keep Jeimer around. But it is a calculated risk, they have to believe he can be a 120+ OPS+ player again and not the sub-90 he was last year (which was worse than the corpse of Longoria).

Yes... more or less was stated in my first post on this discussion. And that his defense being bad last year in particular makes it hard to countenance keeping him around. Either way, what I'm trying to drive at is that while keeping Candy around is the safe move, if the Tigers do not feel that he can be fixed or they think the risk of trying to find something better (either through free agency or trade or other means), they should have no concerns with moving on and trying something different. Even if that means they end up with a less ideal situation at the end of the offseason... After all, that is what Harris himself said, he is someone who is willing to take calculated risks. And in order for this org to improve (and do so on a faster timeline than expected), they may be required to do so at times.

Has this org rolled the dice a lot? My view of Avila was that he tended to overvalue what we had (both in terms of prospects and on the 26 man roster) and was unwilling to take risks or be aggressive in making moves. The trade deadline the past couple of years being a great example.... Even with the Baez signing, there's a perception that he settled with the guy who would sign pre-lockout so as not to risk walking away empty handed when the music stopped playing post-lockout.

"It's up to the team to figure out whether he can be fixed" is as legitimate view to take in a discussion about whether he should be brought back or not as it is to give a black and white, yes or no answer. I dont see how holding any particular view one way or another on whether Candy should come back or not and speculating on how the team or the new POB may handle it "stifles" discussion, maybe it's just a different angle to look at the situation.

The MLBTradeRumors site included the Tigers in with other teams as possible landing sites for Gio Urshela if the Twins choose to move on from him as has been rumored. Although I doubt that's happening for a variety of reasons.

It isn't even so much Colt Keith more than the fact that I dont know if Candy plays a future role regardless. Unless Harris pulls off a trade of some kind at the position that brings in someone of promise, unless one believes Candy is a multiple year option going forward, it's really a question of how to cover 2023 and move the ball down the field until next offseason. On that score, if you don't believe in Candy (and if the Tigers don't), maybe they find it worth the risk to move on and try to find something else. Not trying to stifle debate, the discussion has been interesting from my end. But it's one of the more interesting decisions Harris will have to make this offseason and can see arguments on both sides.

The unknown of how Scott Harris will operate actually makes this offseason way more fun and interesting than it would have been if Al were still in charge

Is Candy a building block for the future of this team? That's a fair question after 2022.

His OPS was almost 30 points higher than Candy's last year... and I dont have a ton of faith that 2021 Candy is coming back. That's an example of a calculated risk.l, a one year rental until they can fill the position on a more permanent basis. Particularly if Harris/Co dont believe Candy can be fixed.

I'd take a year of Evan Longoria over Candy in a heartbeat, fwiw. The more we discuss, the more I believe Candy probably ends up coming back. Just don't see it as a guarantee though, especially with a new PBO who is gonna want to make his mark on the roster.

I dont know that it's an either/or option between keeping Candy and starting Ryan Kreidler, first off. Second off, I don't know what Harris will do. Especially given his repeated statement that he's willing to take calculated risks... I take that as he's not going to always make the moves that are safe or look obvious to fans

I do agree with this. And if they are concerned that he cannot be fixed, they shouldn't be afraid to walk away because of what is or isn't out there or within the org.

This is probably true. But OTOH, other teams having interest in Candelario isn't necessarily a good argument for bringing back Candelario through arbitration. It really comes down to performance and whether they can get better in 2023, and that is an open question at this point.

I suspect one way or another they would bring somebody in regardless in that scenario (even if it's a one of the lower rung options), but as you suggest, there's enough red flags to make an argument that Candy shouldn't be a slam dunk to be brought back

Internally, not really. But it's a question of whether you risk the 3B market (which is thin) or try to upgrade through trade (which, outside of a few of the pitching prospects, there doesn't seem to be much by way of tradable assets, at least on paper). (EDIT: Or roll with what you have regardless, as sabretooth suggests) Harris talked both in his press conference and in an interview with Dan Dickerson about "calculated risks." The decision to bring Jeimer back or not seems like one of those... and the question is whether the upside is worth it. As an aside, I do appreciate that emphasis as well... it's a big departure from Al, who seemed way too cautious and overvalued prospects way too often.