2025-2026 Tigers Off Season Thread

[Sports_Freak]

15 minutes ago, chasfh said:

True, they had two World Series and four consecutive playoff appearances. We’d never had that before. I will also say I was never as excited for the future at any point with that team as I am with this one. 

Yeah, but some of those Tiger teams? Most games, it wasn't a question of if they would win, but how they would win. It seemed like JV may throw a no-hitter every time he took the mound.

[papalawrence]

On DD: It's starting to look like Philly is approaching the 2015 Tigers. They have a few huge contracts on the books, and have Schwarber, Realamuto and Suarez as current free agents. They could be facing a reboot/rebuild in a few years. 

[Sports_Freak]

14 minutes ago, chasfh said:

I can’t see that.

He would have to sign somebody better than our top 5 options. With Jobe coming back, he won't want to sign anybody decent, even if they would sign for a short contract. Ok, maybe he'll sign a pitcher coming back from injury or somebody on a prove-it contract. Hopefully he learned his lesson with Cobb. And Maeda.

[papalawrence]

Giving a contract north of 10 mil to a pitcher coming off an injury age 35+ is like buying an old salvage title car with a lot of miles. Just not smart. I would think Harris has learned that now.

[Tiger337]

40 minutes ago, chasfh said:

I’ll be on board with your cynicism once I see Harris sell off Skubal and ends up making it significantly harder to compete in 2026.

I am not really being cynical or negative.  I mostly like Harris, but I think he is very cautious.  My post was an exaggeration in jest.

[gehringer_2]

21 minutes ago, chasfh said:

Max A crushed it when it came to assists and putouts per game, with only two errors in 185 innings, or about MLB average.

78 chances. If a guy has enough quickness and is accurate, he can make back in handling time some of what he may give up in throw velo. In any case, he's probably going to play more 3rd and 1st going forward than he has so far, so he'll probably get ample chance to prove it on the field.

[chasfh]

23 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

IDK - by about 2012 I though we were set for a generation with Scherzer and Verlander as anchors. Then instead of spending whatever it took to lock those to up and then staying patient on everything else, they got impatient and ended up slowly frittering it away. But '12, '13 I felt as hopeful about that team as I do about this one. But once Max walked what was over the horizon did just keep getting bleaker.

 

I’m excited by this team because we are building it from within rather than from without. I like that aspect of it.

[chasfh]

18 minutes ago, Sports_Freak said:

Yeah, but some of those Tiger teams? Most games, it wasn't a question of if they would win, but how they would win. It seemed like JV may throw a no-hitter every time he took the mound.

Kind of like the first three months of this season?

I don’t think that’s the last time we’ll feel that about the Harris Tigers.

[Tiger337]

30 minutes ago, chasfh said:

True, they had two World Series and four consecutive playoff appearances. We’d never had that before. I will also say I was never as excited for the future at any point with that team as I am with this one. 

I was more excited about the future in the 80s, but it wasn't as good as it should have been.  Now, that was a front office that was too cautious.  

I don't think you can compare numbers of playoff appearances in the 2000s to the 1980s or 1960s or 1930s or 1900s  

[chasfh]

13 minutes ago, Sports_Freak said:

He would have to sign somebody better than our top 5 options. With Jobe coming back, he won't want to sign anybody decent, even if they would sign for a short contract. Ok, maybe he'll sign a pitcher coming back from injury or somebody on a prove-it contract. Hopefully he learned his lesson with Cobb. And Maeda.

There are some pretty good guys on the market this winter. I wouldn’t be surprised to see us take a competitive run at Dylan Cease.

[gehringer_2]

13 minutes ago, Tiger337 said:

Now, that was a front office that was too cautious.  

you misspelled 'cheap'

[papalawrence]

I'm curious if Illitch's divorce will impact Skubal negotiations at all?

[papalawrence]

I think there will be a bidding war for Skubal. There are going to be several teams that are close to elite that will look at him as a potential huge piece. Of course he is that for the Tigers, too. It will be an interesting winter. I very much hope Detroit finds a way to sign him. I expect him to start in Det and if they are not in contention, he'll get traded at the deadline. Or he sticks to the end, and Det gets a comp pick. This has all been posted by several here. I'm just ruminating on it because trade speculation is all over social media

[papalawrence]

If they take a great package for Skubal, then sign Cease and JV, it would lessen the blow for me

[Edman85]

6 hours ago, Tiger337 said:

I was more excited about the future in the 80s, but it wasn't as good as it should have been.  Now, that was a front office that was too cautious.  

I don't think you can compare numbers of playoff appearances in the 2000s to the 1980s or 1960s or 1930s or 1900s  

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

[Shades of Deivi Cruz]

Bringing JV back holds virtually no appeal for me. To say he's a shell of his former self is still an overstatement. The only difference between him and the Maeda/Cobbs of the world is what he used to be for us.

[Tiger337]

2 hours ago, Edman85 said:

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

yes, cheap is a better word.  

[Sports_Freak]

9 hours ago, chasfh said:

Kind of like the first three months of this season?

I don’t think that’s the last time we’ll feel that about the Harris Tigers.

Whenever any of his players get here. I certainly didn't feel any confidence when the Harris pitchers were on the mound. Avila's guys got us to the playoffs.

[1984Echoes]

9 hours ago, Sports_Freak said:

... Hopefully he learned his lesson with Cobb. And Maeda.

Is that similar to the lessons he learned when he signed Michael Lorenzen for 2023 (pitched only half of 2022) or John Flaherty for 2024 (had injury problems in 2020-21-22 but did pitch full in 2023...)?

Harris taking flyers doesn't bother me.

I like it when he takes the right ones though. 

Maybe Urquidy will do us right in 2026.

Walker Buehler?

(OH, and Dylan Cease would be a great sign too, as a few have mentioned here...)

I would definitely be interested in taking a shot with Buehler to see if we can help him recover his magic.

I'm just sayin'...

 

 

Edited October 17 by 1984Echoes

[Tiger337]

1 minute ago, Shades of Deivi Cruz said:

Bringing JV back holds virtually no appeal for me. To say he's a shell of his former self is still an overstatement. The only difference between him and the Maeda/Cobbs of the world is what he used to be for us.

I don't know if I'd want him back in Detroit at his age, but he was a useful pitcher this year, especially down the stretch.  He was not like Maeda and Cobb.  

[oblong]

Bill Lajoie had a great run as scouting director and GM  with the Tigers until Monoghan figured he needed to Ann Arbor the franchise and bring Bo in.  

Lajoie later picked up rings working for the Braves and Red Sox.

 

[Sports_Freak]

5 minutes ago, Shades of Deivi Cruz said:

Bringing JV back holds virtually no appeal for me. To say he's a shell of his former self is still an overstatement. The only difference between him and the Maeda/Cobbs of the world is what he used to be for us.

And just think, the same money that Cobb got could have gotten us Matthew Boyd. He signed for 2 years @30 million. An All Star. But go ahead, sign JV for 15 more million. SMH

[1984Echoes]

What if we traded Skubal for a huge package and signed Dylan Cease to a 3-year...

Not even counting in 2026 what we get back in return for Skubal...

What are thoughts about playoff possibilities in 2026?

Personally... I think the posts stating we have zero chance in 2026 without Skubal are FAR overstating our demise.

It obviously would be much harder to make the playoffs in 2026 without Skubes...

But I still believe in the upward trajectory of this team, and that includes Mize, Olson, Flaherty Melton, and whomever else Harris finds to fill out the rotation...

So while lessened without Skubal, I think our playoff chances in 2026 are just as good, or possibly even better, than any other team in our division.

Thoughts?

[casimir]

13 minutes ago, Sports_Freak said:

And just think, the same money that Cobb got could have gotten us Matthew Boyd. He signed for 2 years @30 million. An All Star. But go ahead, sign JV for 15 more million. SMH

Hold on, let's be honest.  Had Verlander been signed for $15M, a lot of folks would have been overjoyed.  If Boyd had been signed for $15M, a lot of folks would have at best ambivalent to it, and more likely upset by it.

[Shades of Deivi Cruz]

16 minutes ago, Tiger337 said:

I don't know if I'd want him back in Detroit at his age, but he was a useful pitcher this year, especially down the stretch.  He was not like Maeda and Cobb.  

The year before he came to the Tigers, Maeda was 6-8 with 117 Ks in 104 IP and a 1.2 WAR. Last year with the Giants, Verlander was 4-11 with 137 Ks in 155 IP and 1.2 WAR.