2025 Detroit Tigers General Discussion Thread

[IdahoBert]

In the last few years, I’ve always completely ignored the way the Tigers MLB site pestered me to “vote the straight party ticket“ and try to get the whole team into the All-Star game.

“Back in the day“ of MTS I remember voting 100 times to get <cough> Bonderman on to the AL All-Star roster and a part of me has never forgiven myself for drinking that Kool-Aid.

I don’t know if I will bother doing it now that things are different or not. It seems fruitless.

The idea that a person who thinks Verlander left the Tigers to get a big free agent contract has a vote equivalent to my own appalls me. 

[papalawrence]

5 minutes ago, IdahoBert said:

In the last few years, I’ve always completely ignored the way the Tigers MLB site pestered me to “vote the straight party ticket“ and try to get the whole team into the All-Star game.

“Back in the day“ of MTS I remember voting 100 times to get <cough> Bonderman on to the AL All-Star roster and a part of me has never forgiven myself for drinking that Kool-Aid.

I don’t know if I will bother doing it now that things are different or not. It seems fruitless.

The idea that a person who thinks Verlander left the Tigers to get a big free agent contract has a vote equivalent to my own appalls me. 

I miss the 70s and 80s, with the Gillette all-star ballots that needed to be hand punched. I'd torment over my votes for weeks. I think I have some that I never sent in

[holygoat]

The fact that Bichette has not received an extension and is playing on the final year of his contract leads me to believe that the Jays have no intentions of signing him to a new deal. So unless they're solidly in the WC -- not on the bubble or within striking distance -- they'd be wise to get something for him rather than nothing. They probably won't get a Top 100 guy for him -- I wouldn't give that up for a few months rental -- but if someone else is willing to offer that, they can have him. If I'm Harris, though, I'm at least making the call to find out.

[Tigeraholic1]

1 hour ago, IdahoBert said:

In the last few years, I’ve always completely ignored the way the Tigers MLB site pestered me to “vote the straight party ticket“ and try to get the whole team into the All-Star game.

“Back in the day“ of MTS I remember voting 100 times to get <cough> Bonderman on to the AL All-Star roster and a part of me has never forgiven myself for drinking that Kool-Aid.

I don’t know if I will bother doing it now that things are different or not. It seems fruitless.

The idea that a person who thinks Verlander left the Tigers to get a big free agent contract has a vote equivalent to my own appalls me. 

I do remember the campaign to get a tiger voted in as the “last guy spot” a few years back. That was kind of fun. Can’t remember who that was.

[KL2]

6 minutes ago, holygoat said:

The fact that Bichette has not received an extension and is playing on the final year of his contract leads me to believe that the Jays have no intentions of signing him to a new deal. So unless they're solidly in the WC -- not on the bubble or within striking distance -- they'd be wise to get something for him rather than nothing. They probably won't get a Top 100 guy for him -- I wouldn't give that up for a few months rental -- but if someone else is willing to offer that, they can have him. If I'm Harris, though, I'm at least making the call to find out.

Remember it takes two to make a deal. He might not want to resign, it might not just be the blue Jay's who dont want him back. Also they were almost for sure get something for him as he'll get a qo in a bad free agent group. So they get that pick which might be better than some non top 100 fringe guys

[gehringer_2]

5 minutes ago, Tigeraholic1 said:

I do remember the campaign to get a tiger voted in as the “last guy spot” a few years back. That was kind of fun. Can’t remember who that was.

Maybe Inge 2009

Edited yesterday at 12:05 AM by gehringer_2

[Tigeraholic1]

4 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

Maybe Inge 2009

Yes! I was thinking it was Inge. I guess that was more than a few years back lol.

[CMU97]

8 minutes ago, Tigeraholic1 said:

Yes! I was thinking it was Inge. I guess that was more than a few years back lol.

Unfortunently I remember that well. The Tigers and Phillies teamed up and created "vote for Brantorino". Which was Brandon Inge for the AL and Shane Victorino for the NL's last spots. It was very annoying, the announcers at the time were harping on it every three seconds to vote "Brantorino". It worked, both got the final spot in their respective league.

[holygoat]

31 minutes ago, KL2 said:

Remember it takes two to make a deal. He might not want to resign, it might not just be the blue Jay's who dont want him back. Also they were almost for sure get something for him as he'll get a qo in a bad free agent group. So they get that pick which might be better than some non top 100 fringe guys

That's fair, but I'd still pick up the phone and make the call. 

[HeyAbbott]

6 hours ago, 1984Echoes said:

Toronto is not getting a top 5 prospect from any team for Bichette.

I don't see a world in which the Tigers trade anything for Bichette. But asking for the moon, only to agree for less, the might be a taker somewhere for it. The way the Pittsburgh GM runs the Pirates anything might be possible.

[papalawrence]

If Toronto has a poor June and July, I can see them taking prospects. If they are in the wild card race, I believe they'll keep Bichette.

[IdahoBert]

My ability to follow the Detroit Tigers has changed dramatically over 65 seasons. It once was a lonely pursuit of looking at box scores and is now a 24–7 passion in full color on TV chatting in real time with other people.

Never living in Detroit itself, I originally settled for box scores in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette newspaper, a subscription to the Sporting News, maybe a dozen TV broadcasts on a Fort Wayne, IN station, and of course, the daily blessing of listening to Ernie Harwell. Yearly Sporting News baseball registers were a big deal too.

As a kid my room was covered with cheaply printed black and white glossy photos of the early 60s team, and I could’ve been mistaken for a religious zealot with a wall full of icons of various saints singing with mysterious allure.

I was also the only person I knew who had a passion for the Tigers. So it was a somewhat lonely pursuit. Such as having arcane hobby like collecting bugs. I was never enculturated in a vibrant, local tradition like most of you.

After the amazing joy of the 1968 season and getting older, I pretty much stopped paying attention, especially when I moved to Tucson, Arizona then Boise, Idaho. I busied myself with the life of a young man. Spent every weekend in the mountains walking through carpets of flowers and enjoying the other worldly solitude of the desert.

My general disinterest was only interrupted in 1984 when a group of Detroiters moved to Tucson, Arizona, and I fell in with them and for the first time in my life, I was not a lonely bug collector, but a fellow member of a religious cult and a part of a lineage, where a passion for the Tigers is passed down from generation to generation.

In 2004 thanks to the Internet I discovered this site and it’s really great to feel included in something broader which was once a lonely, personal pursuit. It’s really a joy to share these last 100+ games with you. 
 

[chasfh]

18 hours ago, Edman85 said:

Maybe Neto told the Tigers he wouldn't sign.

That probably happens a lot more than we think, particularly to the Tigers in a late Avila years. I would bet, though, that word is starting to get around to the prospecterati, meaning analysts and agents, that Detroit is an organization where young players can go and get better and increase their chances of being big leaguers. 

[chasfh]

17 hours ago, RatkoVarda said:

I find it doubtful that Campbell University SS Zach Neto turned refused the Tigers, signing for $1M less with one of the worst professional sports organizations on planet earth. 

I like this screenshot. Where did you get it?

[romad1]

10 minutes ago, IdahoBert said:

My ability to follow the Detroit Tigers has changed dramatically over 65 seasons. It once was a lonely pursuit of looking at box scores and is now a 24–7 passion in full color on TV chatting in real time with other people.

Never living in Detroit itself, I originally settled for box scores in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette newspaper, a subscription to the Sporting News, maybe a dozen TV broadcasts on a Fort Wayne, IN station, and of course, the daily blessing of listening to Ernie Harwell. Yearly Sporting News baseball registers were a big deal too.

As a kid my room was covered with cheaply printed black and white glossy photos of the early 60s team, and I could’ve been mistaken for a religious zealot with a wall full of icons of various saints singing with mysterious allure.

I was also the only person I knew who had a passion for the Tigers. So it was a somewhat lonely pursuit. Such as having arcane hobby like collecting bugs. I was never enculturated in a vibrant, local tradition like most of you.

After the amazing joy of the 1968 season and getting older, I pretty much stopped paying attention, especially when I moved to Tucson, Arizona then Boise, Idaho. I busied myself with the life of a young man. Spent every weekend in the mountains walking through carpets of flowers and enjoying the other worldly solitude of the desert.

My general disinterest was only interrupted in 1984 when a group of Detroiters moved to Tucson, Arizona, and I fell in with them and for the first time in my life, I was not a lonely bug collector, but a fellow member of a religious cult and a part of a lineage, where a passion for the Tigers is passed down from generation to generation.

In 2004 thanks to the Internet I discovered this site and it’s really great to feel included in something broader which was once a lonely, personal pursuit. It’s really a joy to share these last 100+ games with you. 
 

I have a very similar "this is my lonely vigil" thing going as a transplant in Virginia.  The Tigers were my link to the team that kept me going during a very difficult time growing up with an alcoholic parent and a lot of home chaos.  

[chasfh]

12 hours ago, holygoat said:

The fact that Bichette has not received an extension and is playing on the final year of his contract leads me to believe that the Jays have no intentions of signing him to a new deal. So unless they're solidly in the WC -- not on the bubble or within striking distance -- they'd be wise to get something for him rather than nothing. They probably won't get a Top 100 guy for him -- I wouldn't give that up for a few months rental -- but if someone else is willing to offer that, they can have him. If I'm Harris, though, I'm at least making the call to find out.

This makes sense on the surface, although a mitigating factor is the investment they just made in Vlad, which puts the Jays in a tough spot re Bichette. They can’t sell Bo for future parts like a selling team because that will turn Vlad from Very Unhappy to Angry, and their national fan base’s interest would crater. I feel as though if they are within a reasonable distance of the wild card on July 31 and they can’t get a Top 3 numbered prospect from an organization for Bo, they have to try to go for it and take their chances in the offseason if they fall short.

[chasfh]

12 hours ago, CMU97 said:

Unfortunently I remember that well. The Tigers and Phillies teamed up and created "vote for Brantorino". Which was Brandon Inge for the AL and Shane Victorino for the NL's last spots. It was very annoying, the announcers at the time were harping on it every three seconds to vote "Brantorino". It worked, both got the final spot in their respective league.

That definitely sounds like something Mario and Rod would embrace, and that Dan wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole.

[holygoat]

11 minutes ago, chasfh said:

This makes sense on the surface, although a mitigating factor is the investment they just made in Vlad, which puts the Jays in a tough spot re Bichette. They can’t sell Bo for future parts like a selling team because that will turn Vlad from Very Unhappy to Angry, and their national fan base’s interest would crater. I feel as though if they are within a reasonable distance of the wild card on July 31 and they can’t get a Top 3 numbered prospect from an organization for Bo, they have to try to go for it and take their chances in the offseason if they fall short.

None of that stops me from picking up the phone and calling the Jays to inquire about the possibility of acquiring Bichette.

[RatkoVarda]

46 minutes ago, chasfh said:

I like this screenshot. Where did you get it?

https://www.mlb.com/draft/tracker

[Tenacious D]

1 hour ago, chasfh said:

That definitely sounds like something Mario and Rod would embrace, and that Dan wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole.

You’re comparing apples to oranges, a bit.  An apt comparison would be Jason and Andy and both of those guys would be all over this like a bum on a ham sandwich.

[papalawrence]

2 hours ago, IdahoBert said:

My ability to follow the Detroit Tigers has changed dramatically over 65 seasons. It once was a lonely pursuit of looking at box scores and is now a 24–7 passion in full color on TV chatting in real time with other people.

Never living in Detroit itself, I originally settled for box scores in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette newspaper, a subscription to the Sporting News, maybe a dozen TV broadcasts on a Fort Wayne, IN station, and of course, the daily blessing of listening to Ernie Harwell. Yearly Sporting News baseball registers were a big deal too.

As a kid my room was covered with cheaply printed black and white glossy photos of the early 60s team, and I could’ve been mistaken for a religious zealot with a wall full of icons of various saints singing with mysterious allure.

I was also the only person I knew who had a passion for the Tigers. So it was a somewhat lonely pursuit. Such as having arcane hobby like collecting bugs. I was never enculturated in a vibrant, local tradition like most of you.

After the amazing joy of the 1968 season and getting older, I pretty much stopped paying attention, especially when I moved to Tucson, Arizona then Boise, Idaho. I busied myself with the life of a young man. Spent every weekend in the mountains walking through carpets of flowers and enjoying the other worldly solitude of the desert.

My general disinterest was only interrupted in 1984 when a group of Detroiters moved to Tucson, Arizona, and I fell in with them and for the first time in my life, I was not a lonely bug collector, but a fellow member of a religious cult and a part of a lineage, where a passion for the Tigers is passed down from generation to generation.

In 2004 thanks to the Internet I discovered this site and it’s really great to feel included in something broader which was once a lonely, personal pursuit. It’s really a joy to share these last 100+ games with you. 
 

Thanks for sharing. You should consider writing a memoir. Your posts are often Paul Harvey-esque.

[SoCalTiger]

I saw a channel on YouTube yesterday. Forgot the name but the guy orating was named Riley and he is a Jays fan. He speculated a trade for Bichette bringing back Jayden Hamm and Yober Sanchez our number 10 and 30 prospects. Sounds like a measured evaluation.

[Shinzaki]

The Idiot on 97.1...AKA Jeff Riger...actually said that the Tigers could trade for Bregman from the Red Sox.

 

 

[Tiger337]

I don't follw the draft as closely as some people here do, but I don't remember Jace Jung being a controversial pick when they made it, nor do I remember a lot of talk about Neto.   Eleven other teams passed on Neto too.  Once you get past the first few picks, the draft is a crap shoot.  Look at any past draft  and the majority of first rounders didn't amount to that much.  

[IdahoBert]

13 minutes ago, Shinzaki said:

The Idiot on 97.1...AKA Jeff Riger...actually said that the Tigers could trade for Bregman from the Red Sox.

 

 

It must be terrible to have a job where you have to keep providing content, regardless of how inane or useless it may be.