2025-2026 Tigers Off Season Thread

[casimir]

19 hours ago, Tigermojo said:

Congratulations to the Central North East Division Champions!

I know there’s quite a desire for 4 team divisions if/when MLB expands to 32 teams.  Then the playoffs become something like all division winners (8 teams) plus a smaller number of wildcards (4 or 6).  The problem with that is the increased likelihood of a team with a losing record falling into the playoffs as a division winner.  The NFL allows its losing record division winners into the playoffs.  In my mind, that’s appalling for a professional sports league.

@chasfh has always called out that MLB owners are unlikely to want 8 team divisions as nobody wants to be owner of a team in 8th place.  I don’t disagree with his interpretation of the owners desires might be.  I just don’t like the math behind possibly keeping a better team out of the playoffs because a losing team wins a cruddy division.  It’ll happen at some point.

Along those lines, the NHL has 8 team divisions.  I honestly don’t know if a team with a losing record has made the playoffs as a wildcard under the current setup, but I highly doubt a losing record team has won a division.  I know they’ve had some wacky top 3 teams in the division and then there’s some variable with the final 2 teams in each conference.  Maybe the last 2 are based purely on record regardless of division?

Now I wouldn’t completely adhere to that, I’d just take the top whatever number of records regardless of division.  So, congratulations to the NFC South Carolina Panthers, but the Detroit Lions or Minnesota Vikings are taking your playoff spot as they had a better overall record. 

Honestly I think a lot of this fervor for 4 team divisions is just blindly following what the NFL does.

[tiger2022]

1 hour ago, casimir said:

I know there’s quite a desire for 4 team divisions if/when MLB expands to 32 teams.  Then the playoffs become something like all division winners (8 teams) plus a smaller number of wildcards (4 or 6).  The problem with that is the increased likelihood of a team with a losing record falling into the playoffs as a division winner.  The NFL allows its losing record division winners into the playoffs.  In my mind, that’s appalling for a professional sports league.

 

The fact that 50% of the teams would make the playoffs is appaling.

When I was a little kid I remember the NHL having 21 teams and 16 would make the playoffs.  That was a complete joke.  The playoffs generate money so they are always looking to add more teams.

[Tiger337]

 

Haven't heard from this guy in a long time:

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[monkeytargets39]

12 hours ago, SoCalTiger said:

I don't think Jones has an option. 

So are we still in the era of rostering fringe guys who either can’t hit or can’t field, or are we going to enter the age of expecting all 26 guys to be mlb caliber?

[casimir]

37 minutes ago, monkeytargets39 said:

So are we still in the era of rostering fringe guys who either can’t hit or can’t field, or are we going to enter the age of expecting all 26 guys to be mlb caliber?

Jones’ .373 BABIP vs LHP last season will not repeat.  Once his offense vs LHP is gone, what other tools does he have?

[Sports_Freak]

4 hours ago, tiger2022 said:

The fact that 50% of the teams would make the playoffs is appaling.

When I was a little kid I remember the NHL having 21 teams and 16 would make the playoffs.  That was a complete joke.  The playoffs generate money so they are always looking to add more teams.

I remember the Wings never seeming to make those playoffs when 16 teams made it. The Darkness with Harkness years. But I think our current drought of 9 years is even longer...

Edited 2 hours ago by Sports_Freak

[Sports_Freak]

16 hours ago, monkeytargets39 said:

At this point, I’d rather start with McGonigle and Jung on the team and put Meadows, Wenceel and Jones in Toledo and make them hit their way back up to Detroit.  Let Javy and Vierling share CF duty and have Carpenter and Keith be the primary DH candidates.  Let Jung back up 1B/3B and McGonigle play every day at SS.  I like Cruz, but he’s a bit redundant until we move on from Javy or McKinstry.

IDK....Meadows has never been a real consistent hitter but his defense and speed is really hard to match. Is his spring slow start just a slump that most every hitter goes thru at times? I say start him in Detroit and wait out his slump. If it continues thru April, make a change. But the Tigers are a better team with Meadows on it. He just needs to hit .225 to .250.

[theroundsquare]

1 hour ago, casimir said:

Jones’ .373 BABIP vs LHP last season will not repeat.  Once his offense vs LHP is gone, what other tools does he have?

disposability

[1984Echoes]

13 minutes ago, theroundsquare said:

disposability

Disposability.

Roster spot.

And replaceability.

That's 3 aside from hitting RH'ers...

Hmmm...

[casimir]

33 minutes ago, theroundsquare said:

disposability

As subtle as a sledgehammer.

[theroundsquare]

subtlety is over

Edited 46 minutes ago by theroundsquare
i don't type good

[holygoat]

On 3/12/2026 at 8:46 AM, Tiger337 said:

I think if they are going to have divisions, then the they should play teams within their division more often.  If they aren't going to do that, then they should get rid of divisions.  If a team isn't one of the top six teams in the league, they don't deserve to be in the playoffs anyway.  

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