ICroupier

Mize has almost no trade value. The only bat he's bringing back is an inconsequential one.

He's going to the Padres or Dodgers.

Not really worried about what this means for Tork. He's a severely flawed player who will have the opportunity to show improvement either as a part-time player or in AAA. if he improves, it will give the team flexibility in 2026 after Torres' contract ends. If he doesn't, they can finally cut the cord definitively. My guess is it will be the latter.

I didn't miss anything. "(Hinch) told Manfred's investigators that he was not supportive of the system, calling it 'wrong and distracting.' " "Hinch destroyed the monitor twice, forcing it to be replaced. However, Hinch admits he did not stop it and he did not notify players or Cora that he disapproved of it ..." "Similarly, (Hinch) knew of and did not stop the communication of sign information from the replay room ..."

It's pretty simple. Hinch knew it was going on and let it continue. That's complicity from the one guy in charge of the clubhouse. So if we're OK with the leader of the team that cheated, why would we all of a sudden draw a line on one of the players?

I don't see how a Tigers fan can be opposed to any of the Astros players involved in cheating when Hinch is our manager.

So to create a comparable package to what the Red Sox gave up, the Tigers would've traded McGonigle (top 25 overall guy similar to Teel), Rainer (2024 1st rounder, top 50 guy similar to Montgomery), Lee (non-top 100 but regarded MI similar to Meidroth), and Montalvo (non-top 100 P similar to Gonzalez. I'm guessing the majority would not be onboard with giving up that package. If it was Jung instead of McGonigle, I think I would have considered it.

Yikes! That Eovaldi deal sure makes me feel a whole lot better about the Cobb contract.

Nvm Kim. Give me Suzuki. Much better bat (and RH), which is what we need.

I would trade Madden and Anderson for Suzuki in a heartbeat. He'd instantly become our second best hitter.

Both the Boyd and Montas deals are for ridiculous $ given their performance. You can forget about Flaherty or Buehler, and even Bieber will get something like $20M/year in this market. And you can definitely forget about an extension for Skubal.

https://x.com/CalicoJoeMLB/status/1857246913076080940 You can add Triple Crown winner to his list of achievements. First time ever in AFL history.

I know WSox aren't trading Crochet in the division, but just curious. Would you trade McGonigle, Briceno, and Tork for Crochet?

That list stinks like feet.

Sure, let's look at ERA+. And we'll even cherry pick Montgomery's best 3-year stretch of 2021-2023. His combined ERA+ was 361. Now let's look at Maeda. I'm not going to cherry pick his best 3-year stretch and will, instead, use the same time period (but going back to 2020 to account for his missed season in 2022). His combined ERA+ was 355. Using FIP, Montgomery averaged 3.62, while Maeda's 3-year average was 3.71. So I'm still not seeing why Montgomery is viewed so positively, while Maeda is universally rated as garbage.

I agree 100% that we had a ton of luck and "running it back" will not be good enough next year. While I'd love Buehler, there's no chance the Dodgers let him walk. I can't believe the Mets extended a $21.5M QO to Severino. The market for SP is going to be crazy. We're definitely out ok the top tier guys (Burnes, Snell), and now I'm thinking we won't be in on the second tier either (Flaherty, Fried, Buehler).

In those 3 best seasons, he went a combined 25-24 despite playing for 3 top teams. I get trying to move Maeda for someone else's failed FA. Just not someone who is twice as expensive, over 30, and with middling results.

That's what I don't get, though. How is he a strong bounce back candidate? He's legit only had 2 good seasons in 10 across his whole career. And he's getting up there in age.

For the life of me, I don't understand the love the board has for Montgomery. He's had 2 good seasons in 10 years. In the other 8 years, his combined WAR is 0.8. He's on the wrong side of 30. And he's making $22.5 million. There is absolutely nothing to like about him.

I agree that preserving chemistry is important - and I'm not talking about wholesale changes up and down the lineup - but we should all be able to agree that there was a lot of luck involved in making it so far with a below average offense. We finished 21st in runs per game this year. Over the last 3 years, no team that has made the CS round has finished lower than 14th - and the majority of the teams over that period finished in the top 7. The idea that we "can't bury any of the kids" as Tenacious D proposes is the exact opposite mindset a team should take when looking to take things to the next level. Can't bury Dingler? Seriously? He doesn't even factor into my medium- to long-term thinking, let alone my short term. And while Jung holds more promise and I'm certainly not writing him off, he hasn't displayed anything to make us think he's ready for 500 ABs. I believe we need at least 2 significant offensive upgrades for this team to take the next step. I don't care whether that comes via FA, trade, or homegrown development. But it needs to happen. And based on what I saw from Sweeney, Tork, Jung, Dingler, JHM, etc., I don't think any can be counted on a significant step forward next year.

I can't say I agree. At the end of the day, Greene, Meadows and to a slightly lesser degree Keith are the only 3 position players who are above average and definitively don't need to be upgraded. I'm fine giving Sweeney a crack at it to see if he has what it takes, but he went 2-for-22 in the postseason and barely cracked .200 in the regular season, so not sure what he showed you to make you so confident. Same for Jung. Wasn't given many chances in playoffs, and while he did hit better than Sweeney in the regular season, 0 HRs and 3 RBIs in 79 ABs don't exactly scream "clear a spot!" Carp is our best hitter but as what I consider a DH exclusively, he's not so good so that he couldn't be upgrade. Vierling was serviceable but average. Perez and JHM are both 4th or 5th OF. C and 1B were largely black holes. So there are plenty of spots to upgrade. I just hope this playoff run doesn't lead to complacency when it comes to improving the roster - especially the bats.

Keith being capable of handling 3rd would be huge for the team for all the reasons mentioned and more. Beyond Jung, there's also Lee who may need to be factored into 2B plans - and maybe even Anderson (although I'm not sold on him). And then in 2 years, McGonigle will be forcing his way into the lineup somewhere. But 3B remains the position with the biggest uncertainty.

No offense, but this is a terrible idea.

I don't see either being traded this offseason, but I agree that next year is make-or-break for Tork and Mize. I like the idea of a platoon of Jung / Lee / Keith covering 1B and 2B. But I do worry if we're just running it back next season with our bats (besides adding Lee) that we just won't have enough offense yet again. We need to add an impact RH bat in the offseason, but not someone who strikes out a lot and is basically a better Tork. But where do they play? And who sits? I'm fine with Perez as a 4th OF, and I'm not as high on JHM as many others. Are we handing the SS keys to Sweeney? Does Vierling get an everyday spot? If answer is yes to both, then there's not really not much we can do to upgrade.

Doesn't change the fact that he's performing better than anyone else in the league.