2025-2026 Tigers Off Season Thread

[tiger2022]

When I was 19 I played in a baseball league where everyone had to run off the field and run to their positions.  3 warm up pitches and the batter was in the batters box.  You weren't allowed to step out of the box.  

[gehringer_2]

40 minutes ago, Tiger337 said:

There were a lot of older people, me included, who remembered when games moved faster because hitters and pitchers were not taking forever to get ready.  Enforcing the time rules was the best thing they have done in years.  

It's funny how custom can end up changing the rules without anyone ever actually changing the rules. Umpires always had the authority to move the game faster, but it became custom to give players all the time they wanted. So to get back to the intent of the original rules they had to make a new set of rules to reverse custom where the rule was kept by an impassive clock instead of a malleable umpire. 

[casimir]

43 minutes ago, Tiger337 said:

There were a lot of older people, me included, who remembered when games moved faster because hitters and pitchers were not taking forever to get ready.  Enforcing the time rules was the best thing they have done in years.  

Restricting delays between pitches/batters/innings has been wonderful.

[casimir]

On 3/13/2026 at 10:47 PM, Motor City Sonics said:

4-team divisions.

Fail.

[holygoat]

1 hour ago, Tiger337 said:

There were a lot of older people, me included, who remembered when games moved faster because hitters and pitchers were not taking forever to get ready.  Enforcing the time rules was the best thing they have done in years.  

100%. I'm honestly baffled that any baseball fan still has animosity toward the pitch clock three years in. 

[Sports_Freak]

Isn't Jason calling the games? Neither yesterday and today....Yankee announcers suck.

[Tigermojo]

I think I've only been able to get the Tigers broadcast once or twice this spring on mlb.tv. 

[Sports_Freak]

1 minute ago, Tigermojo said:

I think I've only been able to get the Tigers broadcast once or twice this spring on mlb.tv. 

I can switch it to the radio feed but the sync is off. And who is this Corpenter guy the announcer keeps calling for the Tigers?  😅😅

[Edman85]

I just saw RJ Petit is out indefinitely with an elbow injury (UCL Sprain). This means the Rockies will stash him on the IL, and won't be coming back to the Tigers out of spring. Maybe later this season or in the offseason...

[Motor City Sonics]

I thought about how one random play in a Tiger game shaped the entire World Series that year.

Let me take you back to a time when Disco was peaking.  Saturday Night Fever was a cultural zeitgeist.  Saturday Night Live was in it's third season.   If you had plans for the weekend you needed to withdraw your money from the bank before it closed on Friday (or Saturday) because once you ran out, you ran out.  We didn't have ATMs.    All In The Family and the Mary Tyler Moore show were the biggest comedies.  Fantasy Island was a big hit, for some reason.    We had a President named Jimmy and the big scandal was that he admitted to having impure thoughts.    

1978. 

The Tigers were an improving young team then.  Alan and Lou in their rookie seasons.  The Origian A-Rod played third.  We still had hopes that The Bird would fly again.     Ralph Houk at the helm.  A man who looked 20 years older than his actual age. 

Sunday, July 2nd.    Game 1 of a back-to-back double header.    

Tigers leading 2-0 in the 7th inning.      

Dave Rozema is pitching a good game.  To that point he'd given up 6 hits, 4 singles and 2 doubles.  

Gary Tomasson is on first.  Mickey Rivers is at the plate. 

Rivers hits a fly ball to deep RF.  It is all the way to the wall.  Tiger RF Mickey Stanley reaches to catch it (it did NOT have HR distance), when a fan, probably Jeffery Maier's older brother, reaches out and interfere's with it, knocking it to the corner.    Instead of chasing after the ball, Stanley goes running towards the first base umpire, screaming about the fan interference.   Meanwhile, Rivers, who is pretty fast, runs all the way around the bases for a 2-run "double, Adv on E9".   Yankees tie the game and then win it on a sac fly in the bottom of the 8th.    

How did that (possibly) affect the World Series?

If you remember, we had to have a one-game playoff to decide the AL East that year.   Yes, the Bucky Dent Green Monster Game. 

Now, perhaps, the Yankees would have tied that game anyway, but there's also the chance Thomasson doesn't even score if Stanley just goes after the ball and there is also the chance that even if Thomasson did score, that Rozema (ERA 2.22) or Hiller (2.32 ERA) who did come into the game,  strands Rivers at 2nd. 

If Stanley had just gone after the ball, there is no playoff game.  The Red Sox win the division and the Yankees don't go to the World Series. 

I just remember my dad yelling "GO GET THE BALL, DUM-DUM, GO GET THE BALL"

Just one of thousands of little moments that decide baseball games - but one that sticks in my head. 

I can't find video of the play. 

 

[Hongbit]

Today is the last game of spring in Lakeland.   I would think they have to set the roster later today before they head to Arizona for 2 on with the Rockies prior to opening day in San Diego.  

EDIT:  I guess I jumped the gun on this one.  I saw an article from yesterday saying they are taking everyone to Arizona and won’t make final decisions until Wednesday or even Thursday morning.  Seems a bit brutal to make these wait until the morning of opening day but that’s the business.  

Edited 5 hours ago by Hongbit

[Tenacious D]

26 minutes ago, Hongbit said:

Today is the last game of spring in Lakeland.   I would think they have to set the roster later today before they head to Arizona for 2 on with the Rockies prior to opening day in San Diego.  
 

They’ve traveled before making final cuts in the past, but it would be more practical.

[Tiger337]

1 hour ago, Hongbit said:

Today is the last game of spring in Lakeland.   I would think they have to set the roster later today before they head to Arizona for 2 on with the Rockies prior to opening day in San Diego.  

EDIT:  I guess I jumped the gun on this one.  I saw an article from yesterday saying they are taking everyone to Arizona and won’t make final decisions until Wednesday or even Thursday morning.  Seems a bit brutal to make these wait until the morning of opening day but that’s the business.  

They still have 43 players in camp.  There can't be 17 players on the bubble!  Perhaps, they want some players to play in Arizona, so their regulars can be rested prior to opening day. 

[IdahoBert]

4 minutes ago, Tiger337 said:

They still have 43 players in camp.  There can't be 17 players on the bubble!  Perhaps, they want some players to play in Arizona, so their regulars can be rested prior to opening day. 

That sounds rational. 

[gehringer_2]

19 minutes ago, Tiger337 said:

They still have 43 players in camp.  There can't be 17 players on the bubble!  Perhaps, they want some players to play in Arizona, so their regulars can be rested prior to opening day. 

"Load Management' comes to MLB!

Edited 4 hours ago by gehringer_2

[Tenacious D]

More like, “Positional Chaos”

[Tiger337]

Austin Slater exercises his option.  He will look elsewhere.  

Edited 3 hours ago by Tiger337

[gehringer_2]

2 hours ago, Tiger337 said:

They still have 43 players in camp?

 

40 minutes ago, Tiger337 said:

Austin Slater exercises his option.  He will look elsewhere.  

42

(which just happens to be THE answer)

[SoCalTiger]

1 hour ago, Tiger337 said:

Austin Slater exercises his option.  He will look elsewhere.  

My guess he will be dining on BBQ in Kansas City this year.