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:

Newest Member
DTroppens
Joined Tuesday at 01:15 PM

[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 22 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 20 hours 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.  

100%

[monkeytargets39]

7 hours 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?

I’d much rather see our LHBs be able to hold their own against most LHPs.  I think McGonigle, Keith, Greene and Carpenter are all capable of that.

[gehringer_2]

9 hours 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?

To paraphrase 'Sheed: "BaBIP don't lie!"

[Motor City Sonics]

4-team divisions.   7 playoff teams in each league

Each Division winner makes the playoffs, with the #1 seed getting a first-round bye.  Yes, it's possible an 80-82 team makes it, but they wouldn't get home games. 

 

But............the seeding is by record.   A second-place Yankees team with 104 wins would be a higher seed than a division-winning Cleveland team.    

East - Baltimore, Boston, New York, Toronto
South - Houston, Kansas City, Tampa, Texas
Central - Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Minnesota
West - Las Vegas, Los Angeles, (Portland or Salt Lake), Seattle

Est - New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington
Sud - Atlanta, Cincinnati, Miami, Nashville
Centrale - Chicago, Colorado, Milwaukee, St. Louis
Ouest - Arizona, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco

156 game schedule

All series are 3-game series

One league gets Mondays off, the other gets Thursdays off. Interleague games would be based on the home team's league

12 vs. Your 3 Division mates = 36

6 vs. Your 12 Non-Divsion League mates = 72

3 vs. each team in the other league, swapping home/home from year to year = 48

36+54+48 = 156,  I looked it up.  

You have to split with teams in each half of the season.   The Tigers would play 6 against Cleveland in the first half and 6 in the second half.   It would be like that with the league games too. 

Move the All Star game to the ACTUAL mid-way point of the season - after the 78th game.    This whole lining it up around the 4th of July has fallen apart anyway.    Move it up to June.  

Pitchers are allowed to come out of a game and go back in, based on the manager's ability to hit a moving target from 30 feet away with a rubber band.   Sorry, change the roster structure.  28 players.   Only because teams are burning through pitchers so much

[IdahoBert]

43 minutes ago, Motor City Sonics said:

4-team divisions.   7 playoff teams in each league

Each Division winner makes the playoffs, with the #1 seed getting a first-round bye.  Yes, it's possible an 80-82 team makes it, but they wouldn't get home games. 

 

But............the seeding is by record.   A second-place Yankees team with 104 wins would be a higher seed than a division-winning Cleveland team.    

East - Baltimore, Boston, New York, Toronto
South - Houston, Kansas City, Tampa, Texas
Central - Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Minnesota
West - Las Vegas, Los Angeles, (Portland or Salt Lake), Seattle

Est - New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington
Sud - Atlanta, Cincinnati, Miami, Nashville
Centrale - Chicago, Colorado, Milwaukee, St. Louis
Ouest - Arizona, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco

156 game schedule

All series are 3-game series

One league gets Mondays off, the other gets Thursdays off. Interleague games would be based on the home team's league

12 vs. Your 3 Division mates = 36

6 vs. Your 12 Non-Divsion League mates = 72

3 vs. each team in the other league, swapping home/home from year to year = 48

36+54+48 = 156,  I looked it up.  

You have to split with teams in each half of the season.   The Tigers would play 6 against Cleveland in the first half and 6 in the second half.   It would be like that with the league games too. 

Move the All Star game to the ACTUAL mid-way point of the season - after the 78th game.    This whole lining it up around the 4th of July has fallen apart anyway.    Move it up to June.  

Pitchers are allowed to come out of a game and go back in, based on the manager's ability to hit a moving target from 30 feet away with a rubber band.   Sorry, change the roster structure.  28 players.   Only because teams are burning through pitchers so much

Good post you put a lot of thought into it. I especially like the part about a manager hitting a moving target from 30 feet away with a rubber band. Just to let you know I did read the entire thing. 

[Arlington]

14 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.

Someday a sports league is going to figure out that the best way to allure fans is to have periodic eliminations like the reality shows.  It's not who is leading but who is surviving that will entice them

 

[Arlington]

We could have a 15-way tie of 15 teams winning exactly as many games as lost.  I wonder what year came closest to absolute parity.  

[tiger2022]

Air travel has made divisions by geography pointless for the most part.  Does anyone feel the Tigers have some amazing rivalry with the White Sox or Royals?  

Rivalries are based on talent levels and on history.  Who were the Tigers rivals in the 90s when they were winning 65 games a year?  The answer is no one was because they weren't competitive.  

Why not just put all the eastern US teams in the AL and all the western teams in the NL.  

Edited 8 hours ago by tiger2022

[tiger2022]

I was looking at WAR:

Jeter 71.3 in 2747 games

Ozzie Smith 76.9 in 2573

Trammell 70.6 in 2293 

Larkin 70.5 in 2180

Whitaker 75.1 in 2390

Alomar 67.0 in 2379

Sandberg 68.0 in 2164

Biggie 65.5 in 2850

Grich 71.1 in 2008 games

Six guys 1st ballot HOFers, one elected by veteran committee and two not in the HOF.

Edited 7 hours ago by tiger2022

[chasfh]

8 hours ago, Arlington said:

We could have a 15-way tie of 15 teams winning exactly as many games as lost.  I wonder what year came closest to absolute parity.  

The 1974 American League probably came the closet. The Orioles had the best record at 91-71 (.562), the Angels the worst of 68-94 (.420), and a whole lot of clustering around .500, especially out west. The 1983 NL was almost identical, with the Dodgers through the Mets occupying almost the exact same numbers, and the 1968 NL was also pretty clustered, especially beyond the Cardinals.

That 1968 NL “race” might be a pretty good indication of how the league table format, versus the divisional format, really fails the business in September once the one and only pennant race is already wrapped up: from an average attendance of 19,182 the week of June 19-25, patronage cratered to an average of 7,775 for the week of September 18-24.

The 1909 National League probably had the highest STDEV. The third place Giants were 18.5 games behind, fourth-place Reds were 33.5 behind, and three different teams were 55+ games behind, with the Doves (yes, the Doves) bringing up the rear at 65.5 games behind the first place Pirates, who nevertheless still needed seven games to dispatch the Tigers in that Series.

Edited 3 hours ago by chasfh

[Motor City Sonics]

10 hours ago, IdahoBert said:

Good post you put a lot of thought into it. I especially like the part about a manager hitting a moving target from 30 feet away with a rubber band. Just to let you know I did read the entire thing. 

Well, ghost runners on second base.   Borderlines in the outfield.  Golden At Bats.   Why not?