2025-2026 Tigers Off Season Thread

[Shades of Deivi Cruz]

8 minutes ago, tiger2022 said:

I was told that the Tigers have 8 amazing options at 3rd this season earlier in this thread.

Not by me! I don't think "3B Chaos" is a particularly great path for a contending team.

[4hzglory]

2 minutes ago, Shades of Deivi Cruz said:

Not by me! I don't think "3B Chaos" is a particularly great path for a contending team.

I don't think it's going to be chaos.  I think it's going to be Keith's to lose.  

[NorthWoods]

12 minutes ago, tiger2022 said:

I was told that the Tigers have 8 amazing options at 3rd this season earlier in this thread.

"Amazing" would be a slight exaggeration, "possibly league average" would be closer to accurate.

[Shades of Deivi Cruz]

10 minutes ago, 4hzglory said:

I don't think it's going to be chaos.  I think it's going to be Keith's to lose.  

I can get behind that, if his defense can hold up and if his offense is adequate and if 2024 Tork doesn't come back...

[1984Echoes]

1 hour ago, theroundsquare said:

ps: i wonder if hinch will slot olson or flaherty between valdez and skubal to present different looks and keep bullpen assigments more spaced out

I think he will absolutely do that.

Hinch loves different angles, eyesight levels, stuff, etc... 

Most likely trying to mess up hitters' timing...

 

PS; One other aside...

Just a guess... But I think Mize's stuff would play up a lot higher if he's in-between the two lefties.

I think Flaherty will be Flaherty and not affected by being in the #2 slot. He's either consistently excellent or is inconsistent and doesn't benefit as much as Mize would being the #2. I think Olson is pretty damn consistent. So I don't believe his stuff would play up any more than what he is already.

But I'm just guessing.

I really do think Mize's stuff would play up so much better in-between the two.

 

 

 

Edited yesterday at 04:44 PM by 1984Echoes

[lordstanley]

So on Wednesday a) the Tigers’ World Series legend’s death is announced; b) the Tigers concluded their arbitration hearing about 2-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal; and c) the Tigers signed star pitcher Framber Valdez to a huge contract. I wonder what Thursday will bring?

[Tiger337]

2 hours ago, chasfh said:

Remember "pitching chaos"?

Pitching chaos is like platooning.  It's great when it works, but it's based on need rather than design.  

[Arlington]

1 hour ago, 4hzglory said:

I don't think it's going to be chaos.  I think it's going to be Keith's to lose.  

This will be his third position that it is his to lose.

[Arlington]

I suspect that Skubal will be traded soon.  

[chasfh]

If that were to happened, this town would go bonkers, in part because he would be gone, and in part because whatever we would get back wouldn't be enough to justify it.

[Stormin]

The Tigers front office have been saying throughout the off-season they want to win in 2026.   The trade packages the Tigers have been asking for Skubal in 2026 have been absurd is because the Tigers want to win in 2026.  The last line in Ken Rosenthal's column today regarding potential Skubal trades - "It was never part of the plan."

The Valdez signing is a short term, high AAV, win now acquisition.

[roarintiger1]

2 hours ago, tiger2022 said:

I was told that the Tigers have 8 amazing options at 3rd this season earlier in this thread.

Are half of them currently on other teams?

[Arlington]

Harris doesn't build for the short term.  I am betting he's gone, soon. 

[chasfh]

30 minutes ago, Arlington said:

Harris doesn't build for the short term.  I am betting he's gone, soon. 

Harris isn't going anywhere unless he publicly squeezes Kelle Ilitch's ass and then drops a deuce on Chris's desk.

[slothfacekilla]

 

[4hzglory]

1 minute ago, slothfacekilla said:

 

Look for Skenes to get traded in the next 2 years.

[chasfh]

Just now, 4hzglory said:

Look for Skenes to get traded in the next 2 years.

This, I agree with.

[theroundsquare]

arbitration might not even exist if there is a new cba.  and that could have been part of boras' play.  to make arbitration so expensive that the owners would rather find something different.  not that boras would have anything less expensive in mind but perhaps something more predictable

[Tiger337]

1 hour ago, slothfacekilla said:

 

He earned it.  I know arbitration is just part of how they do business, but I like to see employees get what they earn relative to their peers rather than get a certain amount based mostly on seniority.  I am not being critical of the Tigers here.  It's more a commentary on the system.   

Edited 19 hours ago by Tiger337

[RatkoVarda]

Current projected CB Tax payroll 2026:  $233,614,050

 

In all seriousness, they have only $10M before they hit the first tax threshold, and that could limit them if they want to pick up a big bat at the trade deadline.

[Tiger337]

2 hours ago, roarintiger1 said:

Are half of them currently on other teams?

I am not worried about their 3B situation, but I still thought this was funny.  

[Edman85]

3 minutes ago, RatkoVarda said:

Current projected CB Tax payroll 2026:  $233,614,050

 

In all seriousness, they have only $10M before they hit the first tax threshold, and that could limit them if they want to pick up a big bat at the trade deadline.

Source? I have them at 228.5, and we don't know the deferrals yet. That source likely hasn't factored in the valley charge discount for Flaherty, which a lot of places are getting wrong.

Or it could be a baked assumption for regular IL churn during the season which my number admittedly doesn't consider.

This also could hamper a McGonigle (or somebody similar) pre-arb extension.

Edited 19 hours ago by Edman85

[4hzglory]

2 minutes ago, RatkoVarda said:

Current projected CB Tax payroll 2026:  $233,614,050

 

In all seriousness, they have only $10M before they hit the first tax threshold, and that could limit them if they want to pick up a big bat at the trade deadline.

One plus, with that is the prorating of contracts, so if they're 100 games in thats only 38% of the deal.

 

The other key one is Valdez's contract won't have the $38 mil aav, we don't know what it will be, but it's know there are deferrals.  So they will have a bit more til they are at the tax.

[Edman85]

2 minutes ago, 4hzglory said:

One plus, with that is the prorating of contracts, so if they're 100 games in thats only 38% of the deal.

 

The other key one is Valdez's contract won't have the $38 mil aav, we don't know what it will be, but it's know there are deferrals.  So they will have a bit more til they are at the tax.

But it could also have a valley charge if too frontloaded.

[Sports_Freak]

32 minutes ago, Edman85 said:

Source? I have them at 228.5, and we don't know the deferrals yet. That source likely hasn't factored in the valley charge discount for Flaherty, which a lot of places are getting wrong.

Or it could be a baked assumption for regular IL churn during the season which my number admittedly doesn't consider.

This also could hamper a McGonigle (or somebody similar) pre-arb extension.

The Tigers 2026 payroll is up to $228 million? Wow, that sounds like an awful lot.